The poverty rate in Argentina was located at 36.3% by the end of the third quarter of 2025While poverty affected 6.8% of the population, according to data provided by the Fund’s latest report Social Debt Monitor (ODSA) which prepares Argentine Catholic University (UCA) which was presented on December 4 by Agustín Salvia and a large team of representatives of the Graduate Council.
It is time for teamwork
And yet important in this way, Poverty decreased by 9.3 points compared to the same period last year and 8.4 points compared to the third quarter of 2023before the assumption Javier MileyAccording to UCA methodology.
As shown in the work published todayData indicating poverty come from an analysis of monetary deprivation (Poverty and lack of income) fComplementary indicators such as economic pressures and food insecurity.
These data are based on estimates from the UCA ODSA Argentine Social Debt Survey (EDSA) and segmented/reconstructed data from EPH-INDEC, generally covering the period 2010-2025.
ODSA data: Argentine population between stress and well-being
In its annual report submitted on December 4, the Argentine Social Debt Observatory (ODSA) of the University of Central Asia describes a scenario characterized by macroeconomic stability in the period 2024-2025, but also Increased economic, social and personal pressuresEspecially among the most vulnerable classes.
According to the study coordinated by Agustín Salvia, the country is going through a period of “Unstable transmission“Where recent improvements coexist with persistent deficits in structural poverty, informal work and psychological well-being.
Poverty and destitution: statistical declines and methodological uncertainties
The report notes that income poverty measured by the National Income Level Index (INDEC) showed a significant decline until the second quarter of 2025 (31.8%). However, the UCA warns against this Up to three-quarters of this decline can be explained by statistical effectsand not a real improvement in income.
The report shows that if income were corrected to match the pre-2023 control level – which has surprisingly improved since the end of 2024 – poverty would rise. 33.9%This means, Only 2.1 points lower Compared to 2023. In parallel, the adjusted poverty rate decreased by only one point.
A delivery driver needs more than 15 orders a day to break the poverty line
ODSA also highlights that the overall basic basket structure is still based on the 2004/2005 ENGHo, which Reduces the weight of services In family spending and tends to Artificially reducing measured poverty. Systematic updating would increase the incidence rate in all years.
Adaptation and recovery: declining incomes and stagnant employment
Disinflation and financial reorganization succeeded in stabilizing key variables, but at the expense of:
Loss of quality of work In the low and middle classes.
High unemployment rates In very low-level homes.
Real labor income stagnates About levels similar to those in 2009-2010.
Historical deterioration in public salariesthe main laggards of this period.
Continuation of informalityBy 51.6% of workers without subscriptions in 2025
View ODSA 4D V4
In parallel, the AUH and the Alimentar Card, strengthened in 2024, were able to alleviate extreme poverty, but did not modify the deep structure of inequality, which maintains “Hardwood floors“From 25% poverty and 5% destitution, even in expansionary cycles.
Social Structure: Three Argentine women living together and moving apart
The report reconstructs the social and economic pyramid for the year 2025, which is characterized by the following:
Integrated upper thirdHigh productivity and stable access to public goods.
Aspiring middle class In decline, strongly affected by economic fluctuations.
The bottom third is trapped in precarious, low-productivity jobsChronic poverty multiplies across generations.
Families with children remain the most affected: the poverty rate exceeds that among children 58%That is, more than double the number of families that do not have minors.
Economic pressure and subjective discomfort: The other side of the model
In addition to monetary measurement, the study includes indicators:
Economic pressuresIt is defined as insufficient income to meet basic needs.
Social stressassociated with food insecurity, access to health care and social protection.
Subjective well-beingwith an increasing trend to Psychological discomfort Since 2017, it worsened between 2023 and 2024.
According to the University of Central Asia, overall stability has not yet translated into emotional comfort or strengthening of the social fabric: Well-being gaps persist and are even magnified in the most vulnerable sectors.
What ODSA warns about in 2026
The report concludes that the Argentine economy is going through a phase:
A larger macroeconomic systemLow inflation and financial balance.
High social fragilitywith structural poverty, informal work, and persistent disability.
Risk of entrenchment of a low formal employment modelIf human capital, SME credit and regional development policies are not clarified.
In summary: Stability does not guarantee inclusionIn the absence of a strategy linking growth to social mobility, recovery may lead to a more unequal and fragmented society.
What is poverty and what is want?
• Poverty: Households are defined as poor if their income is below the cash income threshold needed to obtain a basket of goods and services (total basic basket or CBT).
• Homelessness: Families whose income does not allow them to purchase the value of the basic food basket, which covers the minimum nutritional needs, are considered destitute.
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