In this paper we study the incidence of poverty and inequalities in the Pacific
Coast of Colombia. The document aims to understand the reasons why this region
has been lagging behind others. To this end, we conduct a diagnostic of poverty
measures such as: poverty line, Unsatisfied Basic Needs Index, Multidimensional
Poverty Index, and effort required to reduce the socioeconomic gaps. The results
show that regardless of the indicator used, the region is characterized by a high
incidence of poverty, which is more salient in the municipalities of Chocó and
Cauca. Finally, to understand why the high incidence of poverty is persistent we
discuss the aspects related to human capital, public expenditure and armed
conflict. We conclude that a most of the population in the region suffer from a
"poverty trap" that refrains them to achieve a higher development.