Poverty and living standards in Buenos Aires, Argentina: official figures
32.1% of people in Buenos Aires lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 14th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the rate was 32.3%. That is about 5,221,000 people.
Is poverty rising in Buenos Aires?
The poverty rate in Buenos Aires was 31.5% in the first half of 2025 and 32.1% in the first half of 2026, up 0.6 percentage points; for all 31 survey areas it moved from 31.6% to 32.3%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in Buenos Aires are poor?
24.9% of households in Buenos Aires were below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, 15th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 24.4%). People in poor households were a larger share of residents (32.1%) than poor households were of households, because poor households are larger.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the extreme poverty rate in Buenos Aires?
8.4% of people in Buenos Aires (about 1,360,000) were below the extreme-poverty line, which only counts food, in the first half of 2026, 8th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the 31-area rate was 7.5%; a year earlier Buenos Aires's rate was 7.8%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in Buenos Aires are in extreme poverty?
6.2% of households in Buenos Aires were below the extreme-poverty line in the first half of 2026 (all 31 survey areas: 5.6%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Buenos Aires live in informal settlements?
1.0% of households in Buenos Aires were in a "villa de emergencia" (informal settlement) in the first quarter of 2026, 6th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the share was 1.1%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many homes in Buenos Aires are overcrowded?
1.9% of households in Buenos Aires had critical overcrowding (more than three people per room) in the first quarter of 2026, 13th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 1.8%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many homes in Buenos Aires are near rubbish dumps or flood zones?
4.6% of households in Buenos Aires were within three blocks of a rubbish dump and 11.0% were in a flood-prone area in the first quarter of 2026 (INDEC EPH); the 31-area shares were 5.1% and 7.8%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow Buenos Aires compares with other cities in Argentina
People below the poverty line (H1 2026)
Buenos Aires ranks 17 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 35.5% |
| 15 | Rawson-Trelew-Playa Unión | 35.1% |
| 16 | Paraná | 34.3% |
| 17 | Buenos Aires | 32.1% |
| 18 | Córdoba | 31.1% |
| 19 | Formosa | 29.9% |
| 20 | Salta | 29.7% |
Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) (H1 2026 vs H1 2025)
Buenos Aires ranks 20 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Formosa | +1.6 pts |
| 18 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | +1.0 pts |
| 19 | San Juan | +0.8 pts |
| 20 | Buenos Aires | +0.6 pts |
| 21 | Resistencia | +0.5 pts |
| 22 | Salta | +0.2 pts |
| 23 | Santa Rosa-Toay | -0.2 pts |
People below the extreme-poverty line (H1 2026)
Buenos Aires ranks 8 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the extreme-poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Santa Fé | 9.8% |
| 6 | La Plata | 9.2% |
| 7 | Corrientes | 8.6% |
| 8 | Buenos Aires | 8.4% |
| 9 | Catamarca | 8.3% |
| 10 | Posadas | 8.2% |
| 11 | Mendoza | 7.3% |
Households in informal settlements (Q1 2026)
Buenos Aires ranks 6 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households in informal settlements |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Córdoba | 2.5% |
| 4 | Paraná | 2.3% |
| 5 | Concordia | 1.8% |
| 6 | Buenos Aires | 1.0% |
| 7 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 1.0% |
| 8 | Mendoza | 0.9% |
| 9 | Río Cuarto | 0.9% |
Households with critical overcrowding (Q1 2026)
Buenos Aires ranks 13 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with critical overcrowding |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Santa Fé | 2.1% |
| 11 | Mendoza | 2.0% |
| 12 | Paraná | 1.9% |
| 13 | Buenos Aires | 1.9% |
| 14 | Resistencia | 1.8% |
| 15 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 1.8% |
| 16 | San Juan | 1.5% |
More on Buenos Aires: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · all cities in Argentina
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC): Encuesta Permanente de Hogares (EPH): bases de microdatos usuarias, individual y hogar, primer trimestre de 2026 (figures computed with the survey weights), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d9d23945d4b1…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC): Incidencia de la pobreza y la indigencia en 31 aglomerados urbanos, primer semestre de 2026 (Tables 4.1 and 4.2), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d944f84c823a…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.