Poverty and living standards in La Rioja, Argentina: official figures
38.4% of people in La Rioja lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 7th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the rate was 32.3%. That is about 93,000 people.
Is poverty rising in La Rioja?
The poverty rate in La Rioja was 32.4% in the first half of 2025 and 38.4% in the first half of 2026, up 6.0 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 La Rioja are poor?
26.6% of households in La Rioja were below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, 12th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 24.4%). People in poor households were a larger share of residents (38.4%) 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 La Rioja?
4.7% of people in La Rioja (about 11,000) were below the extreme-poverty line, which only counts food, in the first half of 2026, 12th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the 31-area rate was 7.5%; a year earlier La Rioja's rate was 2.9%. INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 31.8%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in La Rioja are in extreme poverty?
2.8% of households in La Rioja 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 30.4%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in La Rioja live in informal settlements?
0.0% of households in La Rioja 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 La Rioja are overcrowded?
2.5% of households in La Rioja had critical overcrowding (more than three people per room) in the first quarter of 2026, 7th 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 La Rioja are near rubbish dumps or flood zones?
3.5% of households in La Rioja were within three blocks of a rubbish dump and 1.3% 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 La Rioja compares with other cities in Argentina
People below the poverty line (H1 2026)
La Rioja ranks 7 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Corrientes | 41.0% |
| 5 | Santa Fé | 38.6% |
| 6 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | 38.5% |
| 7 | La Rioja | 38.4% |
| 8 | La Plata | 37.8% |
| 9 | Catamarca | 37.3% |
| 10 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 37.2% |
Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) (H1 2026 vs H1 2025)
La Rioja ranks 4 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | +10.3 pts |
| 2 | Concordia | +7.0 pts |
| 3 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | +6.0 pts |
| 4 | La Rioja | +6.0 pts |
| 5 | San Luis - El Chorrillo | +5.4 pts |
| 6 | Rawson-Trelew-Playa Unión | +5.0 pts |
| 7 | Paraná | +4.4 pts |
People below the extreme-poverty line (H1 2026)
La Rioja ranks 19 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the extreme-poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Formosa | 5.9% |
| 17 | Mar del Plata-Batán | 5.0% |
| 18 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 4.9% |
| 19 | La Rioja | 4.7% |
| 20 | Tucumán-Tafí Viejo | 4.4% |
| 21 | Salta | 4.4% |
| 22 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | 3.9% |
Households in informal settlements (Q1 2026)
La Rioja ranks 25 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households in informal settlements |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 28 | Rawson-Trelew-Playa Unión | 0.0% |
Households with critical overcrowding (Q1 2026)
La Rioja ranks 7 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with critical overcrowding |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 10 | Santa Fé | 2.1% |
More on La Rioja: 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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