Poverty and living standards in La Guajira, Colombia: official figures
40.1% of the people of La Guajira were in multidimensional poverty in 2025, according to DANE (4th highest of 33 departments and Bogota; Colombia 9.9%). That is up 0.8 percentage points from 2024 and down 13.2 percentage points from 2018, when it was 53.3%.
Is poverty higher in rural La Guajira?
In 2025 multidimensional poverty in La Guajira was 19.5% in municipal head towns and 61.0% in villages and rural areas (Colombia 6.3% and 22.4%). People in poverty were deprived in 44.8% of the weighted indicators on average.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyAre women poorer than men in La Guajira?
In 2025, 39.8% of women and girls and 40.4% of men and boys in La Guajira were in multidimensional poverty, according to DANE's survey of living conditions.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many people in La Guajira lack clean water?
45.3% of people in La Guajira lived in households without access to an improved water source in 2025 (7th highest of 33; Colombia 8.3%), and 47.9% in households without adequate sewage or toilet disposal (Colombia 9.2%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many homes in La Guajira are overcrowded?
18.7% of people in La Guajira lived in critically overcrowded homes in 2025 (4th highest of 33; Colombia 5.4%), and 37.5% 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 La Guajira?
90.6% of people in La Guajira lived in households where at least one worker was informal in 2025 (2nd highest of 33; Colombia 70.0%), and 9.1% in households affected by long-term unemployment (Colombia 13.1%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow common is child labour in La Guajira?
In 2025, 2.3% of people in La Guajira lived in households with child labour (Colombia 1.2%), and 7.5% 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 La Guajira?
60.2% of the people of La Guajira were in monetary poverty in 2025, about 626,000 people (2nd highest of 24 areas DANE reports; Colombia 28.0%). The rate was 65.7% in 2024 and 58.0% in 2021.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many people live in extreme poverty in La Guajira?
33.8% of the people of La Guajira were in extreme monetary poverty in 2025, about 352,000 people, meaning their household income per person was below the cost of a basic food basket (2nd highest of 24; Colombia 9.6%). It was 43.2% in 2024.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyWhat is the poverty line in La Guajira?
Average household income per person in La Guajira was 504,945 pesos a month in 2025 (Colombia 1,281,590), against a monetary poverty line of 369,531 pesos per person a month. The Gini coefficient of income inequality was 0.540 (2nd highest of 24; Colombia 0.531).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyAre women more likely to be poor in La Guajira?
In 2025, 61.9% of women and 58.4% of men in La Guajira were in monetary poverty (Colombia 29.1% and 26.8%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow La Guajira compares with other departments
People in multidimensional poverty (2025)
La Guajira ranks 4 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in multidimensional poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vichada | 55.2% |
| 2 | Guainia | 51.8% |
| 3 | Vaupes | 41.7% |
| 4 | La Guajira | 40.1% |
| 5 | Choco | 30.8% |
| 6 | Sucre | 25.4% |
| 7 | Guaviare | 20.0% |
People in monetary poverty (2025)
La Guajira ranks 2 of 24, highest first. DANE reports 23 departments and Bogota
| Rank | Region | People in monetary poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choco | 65.3% |
| 2 | La Guajira | 60.2% |
| 3 | Sucre | 51.8% |
| 4 | Magdalena | 46.5% |
| 5 | Bolivar | 44.8% |
| 6 | Cesar | 44.4% |
| 7 | Cordoba | 44.0% |
People in extreme monetary poverty (2025)
La Guajira ranks 2 of 24, highest first. DANE reports 23 departments and Bogota
| Rank | Region | People in extreme monetary poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choco | 44.3% |
| 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% |
People in households without an improved water source (2025)
La Guajira ranks 7 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households without an improved water source |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Choco | 60.9% |
| 5 | Vichada | 58.3% |
| 6 | Amazonas | 56.9% |
| 7 | La Guajira | 45.3% |
| 8 | Putumayo | 30.0% |
| 9 | Guaviare | 29.9% |
| 10 | Narino | 20.1% |
People in households with informal work (2025)
La Guajira ranks 2 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 La Guajira: 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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