The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, claims that during his term nearly four million people have been lifted out of poverty in the country. The figure, which he has repeated in different settings, has become one of the main arguments to defend the social impact of his government, which began in August 2022 and has less than five months remaining.
Behind that claim are official data showing a sustained reduction in poverty in recent years, but also differences in how it is calculated and in the real scope of the result.
In a message posted on the social network X, the Colombian president stated that extreme poverty is the main indicator to measure the success or failure of his term.
Petro says 4 million lifted out of poverty in Colombia during his term
Gustavo Petro once again repeated the figure of four million to justify the number of people who have managed to escape poverty in Colombia during his nearly four years in office.
In a message posted on his personal account on the social network X, Petro responded to a report published by the far-right Argentine outlet La Derecha Diario, which claims that “Colombia is the country with the highest rate of extreme poverty at 7.69%.”
In response to that claim, echoed by bots of that ideology online, Petro argued that “extreme poverty is the great social deficit of our system built over two centuries, it is the indicator of a great national failure, and that is why now that we are in government, our essential measure is how much we eliminate poverty in our Colombia. I am awaiting the 2025 statistics; look at 2024, which already shows the collapse of poverty under my government.”
The Colombian president added that “I have acted every day, and I have devoted my intellectual and physical strength to lifting the poor out of poverty, and I can say with pride, as a balance, that I have lifted nearly four million Colombians out of poverty, and in the time that remains I want to lift more.”
However, Petro acknowledged that “extreme poverty cannot be ended overnight. A century of social exclusion is not remedied in a day,” while highlighting the policies that, despite this, his government has developed in the fight against poverty. “All social policies, and fundamentally the subsidy for single mothers with children under six years old, and the pension bonus for elderly men and women without a pension, have managed to substantially reduce infant mortality to half of what I received. My heart rejoices when I see poverty figures fall,” he said.
The president argued that “this is how you measure whether a government is good or bad. A government that impoverishes society is bad, and a government that enriches society is good,” before concluding by recalling that the right-wing governments that preceded him had, according to his claim, worse figures. “Duque [2018–2022] and Uribe [2002–2010] had the highest levels of extreme poverty of the century, and I have the lowest, and I will reduce extreme poverty in my country even further,” he concluded.
Andrés, la pobreza extrema es el gran déficit social de nuestro sistema construido en dos siglos, es el indicador de un gran fracaso nacional, y es por eso que ahora que somos gobierno, nuestra medida esencial es qué tanto eliminamos la pobreza en nuestra Colombia, espero la… https://t.co/XQav2byMop
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 22, 2026
Figures and realities of poverty in Colombia
Colombia reached the start of Petro’s government, nearly four years ago, with high levels of poverty following the impact of the pandemic. In 2022, the monetary poverty rate stood at around 36.6%, according to figures from the DANE. The health crisis had hit employment and reduced the income of millions of households.
From that point on, the data show a downward trend. In 2023, poverty declined, and in 2024 it stood at around 31.8%, the lowest level in more than a decade. The improvement reflects a partial economic recovery, but also the effect of public policies aimed at sustaining the income of the most vulnerable sectors.
Despite this reduction, the problem remains structural. More than 15 million people continue to live in poverty, with marked gaps between urban and rural areas. In the latter, indicators remain significantly higher, highlighting historical inequalities that have yet to be resolved.
The discussion about the four million stems from how poverty is measured. DANE uses two main metrics: monetary poverty, based on income, and multidimensional poverty, which includes variables such as education, housing, and access to basic services.
According to the most recent figures, monetary poverty has declined steadily since 2022. However, when annual decreases are added up, various analyses place the cumulative reduction between two and three million people. The figure mentioned by Petro could include projections or a combination of different indicators, which explains the difference.
Extreme poverty has also declined, although at a more moderate pace. This suggests that while more people have surpassed the general poverty threshold, a significant portion of the population remains in conditions of high vulnerability.
At the same time, multidimensional poverty has shown more modest improvements, indicating that gains in quality of life do not always accompany income growth. This contrast is key to understanding the limits of the reported reduction.
The policies defended by the Petro government
The government attributes the drop in poverty to a strategy focused on increasing social spending and state intervention. Among the most notable measures are cash transfers to vulnerable households, the strengthening of social programs, and subsidies targeted at specific populations.
The increase in the minimum wage (more than 60% over four years—around 40% in real terms after adjusting for inflation) has also been significant. It is one of the most visible decisions of the administration and has had the greatest impact on the most vulnerable segment of the population. The government argues that this policy has helped improve workers’ real income, although critics warn of possible effects on formal employment.
Another pillar has been the expansion of programs in rural areas, where poverty and the lack of job opportunities are more persistent. Initiatives linked to agrarian reform and rural development aim to reduce longstanding gaps, although their results are still being evaluated.
The administration insists that these advances reflect a shift in the economic model, with greater redistribution and a stronger state presence. In that sense, the reduction of poverty is presented as an indicator of structural transformation.