Poverty and living standards in Arauca, Colombia: official figures
12.7% of the people of Arauca were in multidimensional poverty in 2025, according to DANE (16th lowest of 33 departments and Bogota; Colombia 9.9%). That is down 5.0 percentage points from 2024 and down 14.9 percentage points from 2018, when it was 27.6%.
Is poverty higher in rural Arauca?
In 2025 multidimensional poverty in Arauca was 11.9% in municipal head towns and 14.1% in villages and rural areas (Colombia 6.3% and 22.4%). People in poverty were deprived in 40.0% of the weighted indicators on average.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many people in Arauca lack clean water?
5.6% of people in Arauca lived in households without access to an improved water source in 2025 (tied for 8th lowest of 33; Colombia 8.3%), and 9.4% in households without adequate sewage or toilet disposal (Colombia 9.2%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many homes in Arauca are overcrowded?
7.2% of people in Arauca lived in critically overcrowded homes in 2025 (17th highest of 33; Colombia 5.4%), and 9.7% in homes with inadequate floors such as earth (Colombia 4.6%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow common is informal work in Arauca?
89.4% of people in Arauca lived in households where at least one worker was informal in 2025 (3rd highest of 33; Colombia 70.0%), and 12.8% in households affected by long-term unemployment (Colombia 13.1%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow common is child labour in Arauca?
In 2025, 1.3% of people in Arauca lived in households with child labour (Colombia 1.2%), and 5.1% in households where young children faced barriers to early-childhood care services (Colombia 5.3%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow Arauca compares with other departments
People in multidimensional poverty (2025)
Arauca ranks 18 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in multidimensional poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Norte de Santander | 13.3% |
| 16 | Narino | 13.2% |
| 17 | Cauca | 13.0% |
| 18 | Arauca | 12.7% |
| 19 | Meta | 12.3% |
| 20 | Tolima | 12.2% |
| 21 | Huila | 9.7% |
People in households without an improved water source (2025)
Arauca ranks 26 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households without an improved water source |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Antioquia | 6.8% |
| 24 | Cesar | 6.4% |
| 25 | Valle del Cauca | 5.6% |
| 26 | Arauca | 5.6% |
| 27 | Casanare | 5.0% |
| 28 | Boyaca | 4.8% |
| 29 | Risaralda | 2.7% |
People in households with informal work (2025)
Arauca ranks 3 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households with informal work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vichada | 94.1% |
| 2 | La Guajira | 90.6% |
| 3 | Arauca | 89.4% |
| 4 | Choco | 89.1% |
| 5 | Narino | 88.4% |
| 6 | Cauca | 88.3% |
| 7 | Cordoba | 87.7% |
More on Arauca: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · Colombia
Sources
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): Pobreza multidimensional, anexo departamental 2025 (Encuesta Nacional de Calidad de Vida): incidence by department and area, household deprivations by indicator, intensity and incidence by sex, 2018-2025 (updated 14 April 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 73caab08046d…)
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