In the title compound, [Co(C6H4NO2)3], the CoIII ion lies on a threefold rotation axis and is in a distorted octahedral environment defined by three N and three O donor atoms from three fac-disposed pyridine-2-carboxylate ligands. The ligands are coordinated in a chelate fashion, forming three five-membered rings. In the crystal, translationally related complex molecules are organized into columns along [001] via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds