The official methodology used by INDEC to measure poverty in Argentina has been called into question by a Conicet specialist. he The current system is ‘outdated’ and ‘very limited’ Because it was designed in 1985 and only takes into account cash income compared to the cost of a basket of 52 foods, according to Martín Maldonado, a researcher specializing in poverty and social policy issues.
“The central poverty measure has undergone only minor modifications since its design. But it is very limited because It only measures monetary povertyMaldonado explained in an interview with Radio Continental Cordoba.
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The researcher explained that the current methodology compares the cash income of about 40,000 urban families with the cost of the basic food basket. However, it leaves out the essential variables: “It does not measure the price of public services, nor does it measure the price of education, health, and entertainment costs. It also does not measure transportation and fuel costs.“.
Four measurements, four different results
Maldonado explained that in Argentina there are four different ways of measuring poverty, two formal and two informal, which lead to very different results. According to the data provided by the specialist, the measure of unmet basic needs (NBI) recorded 6.7% of the poor population in 2022, while the official INDEC poverty line recorded 31.6% in 2025.
In contrast, the multidimensional measurement prepared by the Argentine Catholic University (EDSA-UCA) reached 67.5% in 2024, and the socioeconomic level index recorded 51% in 2025.
To explain this disparity, the researcher resorted to a medical analogy: “Let’s imagine that we have a patient who suffers from an incurable disease, such as cancer. This patient was hit by a car and all his bones were broken. Then he arrived in the intensive care unit with cancer, his bones were broken, and in treatment they took his temperature. When he came in his temperature was 40, and the next day he had a fever of 38, and the media reported that morning: The patient is improving.”
Maldonado described newspaper headlines attributing a president who “produced 6 million poor people in 6 months” or “lifted 10 million Argentines out of poverty in one year” as “untrue and irresponsible.” He stressed in the radio program that “poverty is a structural, complex, and multidimensional reality that cannot be measured solely by the variation in prices of 52 types of food.” Last question.
The political cost of changing the methodology
Maldonado attributed the lack of systematic updating to technical and political reasons. “Changing the methodology means that the current government has to take care of 67% of poverty, instead of 30% of poverty.. “So it’s bad political news.”
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The expert added that adopting multidimensional measurement would force the state to “pay three times the universal allowances per child, three times the transfers, and three times the social plans, which is something no government wants to do.”
This more complete methodology, as detailed, already serves as an official standard in countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Chile. In Argentina, a private university in Buenos Aires has implemented this program since 2010 with methodological precision, although a small sample of 5,800 families is not sufficient to represent the population.