Poverty and living standards in Caldas, Colombia: official figures
7.9% of the people of Caldas were in multidimensional poverty in 2025, according to DANE (9th lowest of 33 departments and Bogota; Colombia 9.9%). That is down 1.3 percentage points from 2024 and down 5.9 percentage points from 2018, when it was 13.8%.
Is poverty higher in rural Caldas?
In 2025 multidimensional poverty in Caldas was 4.7% in municipal head towns and 18.9% in villages and rural areas (Colombia 6.3% and 22.4%). People in poverty were deprived in 38.4% of the weighted indicators on average.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyAre women poorer than men in Caldas?
In 2025, 7.6% of women and girls and 8.2% of men and boys in Caldas were in multidimensional poverty, according to DANE's survey of living conditions.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many people in Caldas lack clean water?
7.0% of people in Caldas lived in households without access to an improved water source in 2025 (tied for 12th lowest of 33; Colombia 8.3%), and 6.1% in households without adequate sewage or toilet disposal (Colombia 9.2%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many homes in Caldas are overcrowded?
2.5% of people in Caldas lived in critically overcrowded homes in 2025 (2nd lowest of 33; Colombia 5.4%), and 0.3% 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 Caldas?
64.0% of people in Caldas lived in households where at least one worker was informal in 2025 (5th lowest of 33; Colombia 70.0%), and 15.0% in households affected by long-term unemployment (Colombia 13.1%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow common is child labour in Caldas?
In 2025, 1.3% of people in Caldas lived in households with child labour (Colombia 1.2%), and 3.1% in households where young children faced barriers to early-childhood care services (Colombia 5.3%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyWhat is the poverty rate in Caldas?
17.5% of the people of Caldas were in monetary poverty in 2025, about 187,000 people (2nd lowest of 24 areas DANE reports; Colombia 28.0%). The rate was 20.0% in 2024 and 29.5% in 2021.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many people live in extreme poverty in Caldas?
4.7% of the people of Caldas were in extreme monetary poverty in 2025, about 50,000 people, meaning their household income per person was below the cost of a basic food basket (3rd lowest of 24; Colombia 9.6%). It was 4.8% in 2024.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyWhat is the poverty line in Caldas?
Average household income per person in Caldas was 1,252,479 pesos a month in 2025 (Colombia 1,281,590), against a monetary poverty line of 460,896 pesos per person a month. The Gini coefficient of income inequality was 0.458 (3rd lowest of 24; Colombia 0.531).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyAre women more likely to be poor in Caldas?
In 2025, 18.5% of women and 16.4% of men in Caldas were in monetary poverty (Colombia 29.1% and 26.8%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow Caldas compares with other departments
People in multidimensional poverty (2025)
Caldas ranks 25 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in multidimensional poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Antioquia | 9.5% |
| 23 | Casanare | 8.9% |
| 24 | Atlantico | 8.2% |
| 25 | Caldas | 7.9% |
| 26 | Santander | 6.9% |
| 27 | Quindio | 6.7% |
| 28 | Boyaca | 6.4% |
People in monetary poverty (2025)
Caldas ranks 23 of 24, highest first. DANE reports 23 departments and Bogota
| Rank | Region | People in monetary poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Valle del Cauca | 21.8% |
| 19 | Quindio | 20.9% |
| 20 | Risaralda | 20.2% |
| 21 | Antioquia | 19.2% |
| 22 | Bogota | 17.8% |
| 23 | Caldas | 17.5% |
| 24 | Cundinamarca | 15.1% |
People in extreme monetary poverty (2025)
Caldas ranks 22 of 24, highest first. DANE reports 23 departments and Bogota
| Rank | Region | People in extreme monetary poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Cundinamarca | 6.0% |
| 19 | Santander | 5.7% |
| 20 | Antioquia | 5.4% |
| 21 | Quindio | 5.1% |
| 22 | Caldas | 4.7% |
| 23 | Risaralda | 4.4% |
| 24 | Bogota | 3.6% |
People in households without an improved water source (2025)
Caldas ranks 22 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households without an improved water source |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Huila | 8.5% |
| 20 | Sucre | 8.1% |
| 21 | Santander | 7.0% |
| 22 | Caldas | 7.0% |
| 23 | Antioquia | 6.8% |
| 24 | Cesar | 6.4% |
| 25 | Valle del Cauca | 5.6% |
People in households with informal work (2025)
Caldas ranks 29 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households with informal work |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Santander | 68.7% |
| 27 | Valle del Cauca | 66.3% |
| 28 | Risaralda | 65.3% |
| 29 | Caldas | 64.0% |
| 30 | Antioquia | 63.0% |
| 31 | Cundinamarca | 61.3% |
| 32 | Bogota | 51.4% |
More on Caldas: 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…)
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE): Pobreza monetaria y desigualdad, anexo departamental 2025 (GEIH): incidence of monetary and extreme monetary poverty, people in poverty, per-capita income, poverty lines and Gini, total national, 23 departments and Bogota D.C., 2021-2025 (published 12 August 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e27a18ee48d0…)
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