Introduction: Successful aging is the ability not just to survive, but also to thrive in old age. This is a multidimensional concept that embraces, transcends, and goes beyond good health. It comprises a number of factors: health conditions, optimal physical function, cognitive function, positive affection, and social commitment. Being aware of the criteria and predictors enables the identification of the elderly that age successfully and promotes primary care strategies that ensure and maintain high levels of functionality for as long as possible. Objective: Estimate the prevalence of successful aging and the predictors in the Colombian elderly population. Methodology: cross-section, descriptive and correlational study. 311 people were interviewed. Successful aging was defined on the basis of six indicators: the absence of significant chronic conditions, absence of disability in daily life, absence of difficulty in terms of physical function measurements, and high cognitive, emotional, and social function. Co-variables analyzed: socio-demographic, health and spirituality considerations. Results: the prevalence of successful aging was 8.4%, increasing to 24.4% when excluding disease. The independent predictors are having a good health self-perception, be highly religious, married, high educational level, being a female. Discussion: The prevalence of successful aging in the Colombian elderly is low; 1 out of 10 people over 65 years of age successfully when considering the presence of disease, and increases to 1 out of every 4, when excluding disease, due to the high morbidity and mortality. Factors associated with socioeconomic characteristics such as being religious, and health self-perception are critical for successful aging.