he Economic pressuresThat is, the self-perception of insufficient income to cover basic needs affects about 47% of the population, which is more than the historical minimum of about 35%. In this way, approximately one in two people live in homes with this condition.
This is what was stated in a report issued by Argentine Social Debt Observatory – UCA. According to the study, in the long term, the index shows a deterioration between 2010 and 2017 and then stability. Although economic variables in the period 2024-2025 tended to return to normal, levels of economic pressure returned to their levels in the period 2022-2023.
This occurs despite greater economic stability compared to those years, mainly because… Slowing inflation. However, it should be noted that an improvement of 3 percentage points was observed compared to 2024, when the impact was on 50% of the population, in the context of adaptation and recession.
Currently, UCA points out, strong inequalities remain according to socioeconomic level: 7 out of 10 families in the lower sectors are experiencing economic stress.
At intermediate levels, the proportion decreases to 3 out of 10. In terms of the historical trend, the deterioration intensified between 2010 and 2025, with a higher incidence in families with children.
“In the adjustment cycle, deterioration trajectories prevail. In the stabilization phase, improvement trajectories increase slightly, although it will be clear that the population has not felt the decline in poverty with the intensity shown by traditional indicators. The pace of economic stresses remains high, near 30%,” ODA explained.
The development of economic pressures is linked to labor income. The average salary level recorded in the stabilization phase (2024-2025) was similar to the values of the years 2009-2010, without observing a real improvement compared to 2023.
The study noted that “wages registered in the private sector remain stagnant at historically low ranges, and are likely to remain so unless economic growth is enhanced.”
The proportion of families and people suffering from economic deprivation is a structural problem that has plagued the country for more than 40 years. At a conjunctural level, since 2023, the combination of macroeconomic tensions, slowdown in domestic activity and accelerating prices has eroded purchasing power and led to a recessionary correction.
The report explained that in this scenario, the cash deficit advanced strongly during the crisis and the contractionary period 2023-2024.
However, with subsequent inflationary slowdown and partial recovery Real work incomeTransfers and coverage Social protection programmes – Along with the dynamic of informal work – indicators of deprivation are beginning to show a decline.
“The relative improvement observed between 2024 and 2025 does not, at least not yet, constitute evidence of a structural change in living conditions. Rather, depending on the indicator under consideration, recent levels of deprivation are similar to those recorded in 2022/2023 or even in 2018/2019, periods also characterized by high levels of cash deficits, exclusion and labor market tensions,” ODA emphasized.
Although a phase of stabilization is observed after the adjustment, improvements in 2024-2025 are interpreted with caution. “Their sustainability over time and their ability to bring about sustained changes within the social structure remain to be assessed. In this sense, doubts remain as to whether these developments represent a permanent recovery or merely a temporary relief,” the report said.
The ability to save remains limited for the vast majority of Argentines. According to ODSA, only between 8% and 16% of the population claim to be able to retain part of their income, a percentage that has been declining steadily since 2010.
The increase recorded in 2024-2025 appears to be insufficient: it hardly allows us to return to values similar to those in 2022-2023 or those in 2018, without compensating for the accumulated deterioration.
Differences by socioeconomic level are relevant. The middle and high sectors concentrate the majority of households with the possibility of saving, much higher than the rest, even taking into account the bias of the surveys in the richer strata. There are also still wide gaps between families with children and those without.
The survey shows that too 83% of families still do not have room to save In the two observed years. In phases of adaptation, setbacks prevail, while in moments of greater stability, progress is recorded, albeit concentrated in the more favored groups.
In the middle to high bracket, there is greater ability to save, but this progress coexists with less positive signs in terms of economic pressures. Thus, the upper middle class appears more mixed: one part of it is working to improve its financial situation, while another part continues to bear pressures.