According to a report from the Di Tella University, poverty in Argentina decreased to 34.9% in February of this year. This represents a significant drop of 12 percentage points since September 2024, when it stood at 47%. Meanwhile, the indigence rate dropped by 7.1 percentage points, from 15.8% to 8.7%. This improvement was celebrated by President Javier Milei.
During the same period, the baskets defining the thresholds of poverty and indigence increased by 99% and 114% respectively, compared to a rise of 168% in the total Consumer Price Index. Di Tella's "nowcast" estimated the poverty rate at 34.9% for the semester from September 2024 to February 2025.
The average Total Basic Basket for Greater Buenos Aires stood at $327,332 per adult equivalent, with a year-on-year increase of 113.8%. The projection indicates that around 35% of people in urban households live in poverty.
The incidence of poverty decreased by 8 percentage points between the first half of the year and the April-September semester of 2024, from 52.9% to 44.9%. This reduction was largely due to an increase in per capita family income, adjusted for inflation of the total basic basket, and a more equitable income distribution during that period.
