Poverty and living standards in Valle del Cauca, Colombia: official figures
4.9% of the people of Valle del Cauca were in multidimensional poverty in 2025, according to DANE (tied for 4th lowest of 33 departments and Bogota; Colombia 9.9%). That is down 1.3 percentage points from 2024 and down 9.2 percentage points from 2018, when it was 14.1%.
Is poverty higher in rural Valle del Cauca?
In 2025 multidimensional poverty in Valle del Cauca was 4.2% in municipal head towns and 9.5% in villages and rural areas (Colombia 6.3% and 22.4%). People in poverty were deprived in 38.7% of the weighted indicators on average.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyAre women poorer than men in Valle del Cauca?
In 2025, 4.8% of women and girls and 5.1% of men and boys in Valle del 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 Valle del Cauca lack clean water?
5.6% of people in Valle del Cauca lived in households without access to an improved water source in 2025 (tied for 8th lowest of 33; Colombia 8.3%), and 4.4% in households without adequate sewage or toilet disposal (Colombia 9.2%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many homes in Valle del Cauca are overcrowded?
3.4% of people in Valle del Cauca lived in critically overcrowded homes in 2025 (5th 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 Valle del Cauca?
66.3% of people in Valle del Cauca lived in households where at least one worker was informal in 2025 (7th lowest of 33; Colombia 70.0%), and 14.2% in households affected by long-term unemployment (Colombia 13.1%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow common is child labour in Valle del Cauca?
In 2025, 0.9% of people in Valle del Cauca lived in households with child labour (Colombia 1.2%), and 5.7% 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 Valle del Cauca?
21.8% of the people of Valle del Cauca were in monetary poverty in 2025, about 1,022,000 people (7th lowest of 24 areas DANE reports; Colombia 28.0%). The rate was 25.7% in 2024 and 32.1% in 2021.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow many people live in extreme poverty in Valle del Cauca?
7.7% of the people of Valle del Cauca were in extreme monetary poverty in 2025, about 359,000 people, meaning their household income per person was below the cost of a basic food basket (10th lowest of 24; Colombia 9.6%). It was 10.4% in 2024.
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyWhat is the poverty line in Valle del Cauca?
Average household income per person in Valle del Cauca was 1,322,999 pesos a month in 2025 (Colombia 1,281,590), against a monetary poverty line of 456,651 pesos per person a month. The Gini coefficient of income inequality was 0.488 (tied for 12th highest of 24; Colombia 0.531).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyAre women more likely to be poor in Valle del Cauca?
In 2025, 22.9% of women and 20.5% of men in Valle del Cauca were in monetary poverty (Colombia 29.1% and 26.8%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica (DANE) · saved copyHow Valle del Cauca compares with other departments
People in multidimensional poverty (2025)
Valle del Cauca ranks 29 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in multidimensional poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Santander | 6.9% |
| 27 | Quindio | 6.7% |
| 28 | Boyaca | 6.4% |
| 29 | Valle del Cauca | 4.9% |
| 30 | Risaralda | 4.9% |
| 31 | San Andres and Providencia | 4.3% |
| 32 | Cundinamarca | 4.1% |
People in monetary poverty (2025)
Valle del Cauca ranks 18 of 24, highest first. DANE reports 23 departments and Bogota
| Rank | Region | People in monetary poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Atlantico | 27.3% |
| 16 | Santander | 24.0% |
| 17 | Meta | 22.1% |
| 18 | Valle del Cauca | 21.8% |
| 19 | Quindio | 20.9% |
| 20 | Risaralda | 20.2% |
| 21 | Antioquia | 19.2% |
People in extreme monetary poverty (2025)
Valle del Cauca ranks 15 of 24, highest first. DANE reports 23 departments and Bogota
| Rank | Region | People in extreme monetary poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Narino | 10.1% |
| 13 | Meta | 8.0% |
| 14 | Norte de Santander | 7.9% |
| 15 | Valle del Cauca | 7.7% |
| 16 | Atlantico | 7.4% |
| 17 | Tolima | 7.3% |
| 18 | Cundinamarca | 6.0% |
People in households without an improved water source (2025)
Valle del Cauca ranks 25 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households without an improved water source |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Caldas | 7.0% |
| 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% |
People in households with informal work (2025)
Valle del Cauca ranks 27 of 33, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households with informal work |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Atlantico | 73.7% |
| 25 | Quindio | 69.2% |
| 26 | Santander | 68.7% |
| 27 | Valle del Cauca | 66.3% |
| 28 | Risaralda | 65.3% |
| 29 | Caldas | 64.0% |
| 30 | Antioquia | 63.0% |
More on Valle del 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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