Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Colombia
Colombia: Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) was 8.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of population below international poverty line in Colombia, 1980–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of population below international poverty line in Colombia is 8.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population below international poverty line in Colombia peaked at 29.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 8.5%, in 2024.
That places Colombia 36th out of 133 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Colombia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 28.5% | — |
| 1988 | 21.4% | -24.9% |
| 1989 | 21.3% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 19.3% | -9.4% |
| 1992 | 16.0% | -17.1% |
| 1996 | 24.8% | +55.0% |
| 1999 | 28.2% | +13.7% |
| 2000 | 23.9% | -15.2% |
| 2001 | 29.6% | +23.8% |
| 2002 | 21.2% | -28.4% |
| 2003 | 19.8% | -6.6% |
| 2004 | 19.2% | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 16.8% | -12.5% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 15.1% | -7.4% |
| 2010 | 13.3% | -11.9% |
| 2011 | 11.3% | -15.0% |
| 2012 | 12.7% | +12.4% |
| 2013 | 11.8% | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 10.9% | -7.6% |
| 2015 | 10.2% | -6.4% |
| 2016 | 10.1% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 9.5% | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 9.8% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 11.3% | +15.3% |
| 2020 | 15.8% | +39.8% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | -29.1% |
| 2022 | 9.3% | -17.0% |
| 2023 | 8.6% | -7.5% |
| 2024 | 8.5% | -1.2% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 8.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.2%, 6.8× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 8.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.5%, 3.3× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Colombia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +55.0% | 16.0% | 24.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.7% | 21.3% | 28.5% | 3 |
| 1990s | 22.1% | 16.0% | 28.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 20.2% | 15.1% | 29.6% | 8 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 9.5% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.7% | 8.5% | 15.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
- 33 Mauritania 10.2% compare
- 34 Guatemala 9.7% compare
- 34 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 9.7% compare
- 37 Lao People's Democratic Republic 7.1% compare
- 37 Laos 7.1% compare
- 39 Nicaragua 6.6% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Colombia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,422 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 25.22 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 25.2% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of population below international poverty line in Colombia?
- Proportion of population below international poverty line in Colombia was 8.5% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.5% in 2024.
- How does Colombia rank for proportion of population below international poverty line?
- Colombia ranks 36th out of 133 countries with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of population below international poverty line rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population below international poverty line (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).