Poverty and living standards in Cauca, Colombia: official figures
13.0% of the people of Cauca were in multidimensional poverty in 2025, according to DANE (17th highest of 33 departments and Bogota; Colombia 9.9%). That is down 1.0 percentage point from 2024 and down 14.7 percentage points from 2018, when it was 27.7%.
Is poverty higher in rural Cauca?
In 2025 multidimensional poverty in Cauca was 7.1% in municipal head towns and 16.1% in villages and rural areas (Colombia 6.3% and 22.4%). People in poverty were deprived in 38.9% of the weighted indicators on average.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyAre women poorer than men in Cauca?
In 2025, 13.0% of women and girls and 13.0% of men and boys in Cauca were in multidimensional poverty, according to DANE's survey of living conditions.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many people in Cauca lack clean water?
16.4% of people in Cauca lived in households without access to an improved water source in 2025 (13th highest of 33; Colombia 8.3%), and 8.5% in households without adequate sewage or toilet disposal (Colombia 9.2%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many homes in Cauca are overcrowded?
3.6% of people in Cauca lived in critically overcrowded homes in 2025 (9th lowest of 33; Colombia 5.4%), and 12.0% 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 Cauca?
88.3% of people in Cauca lived in households where at least one worker was informal in 2025 (6th highest of 33; Colombia 70.0%), and 12.5% in households affected by long-term unemployment (Colombia 13.1%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow common is child labour in Cauca?
In 2025, 2.1% of people in Cauca lived in households with child labour (Colombia 1.2%), and 4.0% 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 Cauca?
40.9% of the people of Cauca were in monetary poverty in 2025, about 635,000 people (8th highest of 24 areas DANE reports; Colombia 28.0%). The rate was 43.1% in 2024 and 46.7% in 2021.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many people live in extreme poverty in Cauca?
18.5% of the people of Cauca were in extreme monetary poverty in 2025, about 288,000 people, meaning their household income per person was below the cost of a basic food basket (5th highest of 24; Colombia 9.6%). It was 19.1% in 2024.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyWhat is the poverty line in Cauca?
Average household income per person in Cauca was 727,985 pesos a month in 2025 (Colombia 1,281,590), against a monetary poverty line of 386,280 pesos per person a month. The Gini coefficient of income inequality was 0.513 (tied for 3rd highest of 24; Colombia 0.531).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyAre women more likely to be poor in Cauca?
In 2025, 43.5% of women and 38.2% of men in Cauca were in monetary poverty (Colombia 29.1% and 26.8%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow Cauca compares with other departments
People in multidimensional poverty (2025)
Cauca ranks 17 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in multidimensional poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Putumayo | 13.6% |
| 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% |
People in monetary poverty (2025)
Cauca ranks 8 of 24, highest first. DANE reports 23 departments and Bogota
| Rank | Region | People in monetary poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Bolivar | 44.8% |
| 6 | Cesar | 44.4% |
| 7 | Cordoba | 44.0% |
| 8 | Cauca | 40.9% |
| 9 | Huila | 39.8% |
| 10 | Caqueta | 34.9% |
| 11 | Norte de Santander | 33.7% |
People in extreme monetary poverty (2025)
Cauca ranks 5 of 24, highest first. DANE reports 23 departments and Bogota
| Rank | Region | People in extreme monetary poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | La Guajira | 33.8% |
| 3 | Magdalena | 21.5% |
| 4 | Sucre | 19.1% |
| 5 | Cauca | 18.5% |
| 6 | Cordoba | 17.9% |
| 7 | Cesar | 16.5% |
| 8 | Bolivar | 15.7% |
People in households without an improved water source (2025)
Cauca ranks 13 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households without an improved water source |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Narino | 20.1% |
| 11 | Caqueta | 19.3% |
| 12 | Cordoba | 16.7% |
| 13 | Cauca | 16.4% |
| 14 | Meta | 16.2% |
| 15 | Bolivar | 14.5% |
| 16 | Norte de Santander | 13.1% |
People in households with informal work (2025)
Cauca ranks 6 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households with informal work |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Arauca | 89.4% |
| 4 | Choco | 89.1% |
| 5 | Narino | 88.4% |
| 6 | Cauca | 88.3% |
| 7 | Cordoba | 87.7% |
| 8 | Sucre | 87.7% |
| 9 | Putumayo | 87.7% |
More on Cauca: 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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