In general terms, poverty is the lack of basic necessities essential for a dignified life. These deprivations increase inequality and the social barriers faced by citizens, and overcoming poverty in all its forms is essential for human dignity and the development of society. Therefore, it is crucial to have information on the situation of poverty and inequality at the local level, which will also contribute to the design of policies and strategies to address this serious social problem.

Therefore, an in-depth investigation was conducted to understand the state of poverty and inequality in 14 capital cities of Colombia. The results show that the Covid-19 pandemic undoubtedly had a significant impact on income generation in 2020, with the most severe economic effects observed in urban areas. Per capita income fell below 2018 levels in all the cities analyzed, and the population living in poverty also increased.

The report shows that Quibdó faces the greatest challenges, with over 60% of its population living in monetary poverty and approximately 30% of its citizens having incomes below the extreme poverty line. Furthermore, it has the highest rate of multidimensional poverty according to the 2018 Population and Housing Census, indicating that the city is not only affected by a lack of income, but also by a lack of access to healthcare, education, decent work, and adequate housing infrastructure.

In contrast, Manizales and its metropolitan area had the lowest figures for extreme monetary poverty in 2018, 2019, and 2020; however, Bogotá showed the best results in terms of multidimensional poverty, possibly due to the city's infrastructure, which reduces the population's deprivations.

Regarding income distribution, the Gini coefficient, which measures the degree of income concentration in a territory, ranging from 0 to 1 (where 0 represents perfect equality and 1 represents perfect inequality), was 0.52 nationally in 2018, 0.53 in 2019, and 0.54 in 2020, reflecting the gradual increase in income inequality in the country. Pereira and its metropolitan areas (AM) showed the best results in each of the years analyzed and were one of the four cities that registered decreases in the Gini coefficient between 2018 and 2019, along with Manizales AM, Cartagena, and Bucaramanga AM. However, the results for Bucaramanga were unfavorable in 2020, rising from 0.43 in 2019 to 0.51 in 2020.

The figures presented in this report also include self-perception of poverty, public investment in care for vulnerable populations and a prospective view of compliance with the SDGs, demonstrating not only the impact of the pandemic on the living conditions of the population, but also the heterogeneity that exists between the cities of Colombia and, likewise, the need to generate differentiated strategies at the territorial level.

Author(s): Red de Ciudades Cómo Vamos.

Year: 2021