Poverty and living standards in Formosa, Argentina: official figures
29.9% of people in Formosa lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 12th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the rate was 32.3%. That is about 80,000 people.
Is poverty rising in Formosa?
The poverty rate in Formosa was 28.3% in the first half of 2025 and 29.9% in the first half of 2026, up 1.6 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 Formosa are poor?
24.4% of households in Formosa were below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, 13th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 24.4%). People in poor households were a larger share of residents (29.9%) 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 Formosa?
5.9% of people in Formosa (about 16,000) were below the extreme-poverty line, which only counts food, in the first half of 2026, 15th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the 31-area rate was 7.5%; a year earlier Formosa's rate was 2.7%. INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 41.9%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in Formosa are in extreme poverty?
4.1% of households in Formosa were below the extreme-poverty line in the first half of 2026 (all 31 survey areas: 5.6%). INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 32.4%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Formosa live in informal settlements?
0.0% of households in Formosa were in a "villa de emergencia" (informal settlement) in the first quarter of 2026, joint lowest 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 Formosa are overcrowded?
2.5% of households in Formosa had critical overcrowding (more than three people per room) in the first quarter of 2026, 6th 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 Formosa are near rubbish dumps or flood zones?
7.2% of households in Formosa were within three blocks of a rubbish dump and 6.6% 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 Formosa compares with other cities in Argentina
People below the poverty line (H1 2026)
Formosa ranks 19 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Paraná | 34.3% |
| 17 | Buenos Aires | 32.1% |
| 18 | Córdoba | 31.1% |
| 19 | Formosa | 29.9% |
| 20 | Salta | 29.7% |
| 21 | Tucumán-Tafí Viejo | 27.9% |
| 22 | San Salvador de Jujuy-Palpalá | 27.6% |
Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) (H1 2026 vs H1 2025)
Formosa ranks 17 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Santa Fé | +2.8 pts |
| 15 | La Plata | +2.6 pts |
| 16 | Córdoba | +1.6 pts |
| 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 |
People below the extreme-poverty line (H1 2026)
Formosa ranks 16 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the extreme-poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Rosario | 6.2% |
| 14 | Bahía Blanca-Cerri | 6.2% |
| 15 | Paraná | 6.0% |
| 16 | Formosa | 5.9% |
| 17 | Mar del Plata-Batán | 5.0% |
| 18 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 4.9% |
| 19 | La Rioja | 4.7% |
Households in informal settlements (Q1 2026)
Formosa ranks 24 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households in informal settlements |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Santa Fé | 0.0% |
| 22 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | 0.0% |
| 23 | Neuquén-Plottier | 0.0% |
| 24 | Formosa | 0.0% |
| 25 | La Rioja | 0.0% |
| 26 | Catamarca | 0.0% |
| 27 | Ushuaia-Río Grande | 0.0% |
Households with critical overcrowding (Q1 2026)
Formosa ranks 6 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with critical overcrowding |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Tucumán-Tafí Viejo | 2.7% |
| 4 | La Plata | 2.6% |
| 5 | Córdoba | 2.6% |
| 6 | Formosa | 2.5% |
| 7 | La Rioja | 2.5% |
| 8 | San Luis - El Chorrillo | 2.3% |
| 9 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | 2.3% |
More on Formosa: 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…)
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