Poverty and living standards in Mar del Plata-Batán, Argentina: official figures
20.4% of people in Mar del Plata-Batán lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 2nd lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the rate was 32.3%. That is about 137,000 people. INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 17.7%).
Is poverty rising in Mar del Plata-Batán?
The poverty rate in Mar del Plata-Batán was 27.5% in the first half of 2025 and 20.4% in the first half of 2026, down 7.1 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 Mar del Plata-Batán are poor?
14.9% of households in Mar del Plata-Batán were below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, the lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 24.4%). People in poor households were a larger share of residents (20.4%) 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 Mar del Plata-Batán?
5.0% of people in Mar del Plata-Batán (about 33,000) were below the extreme-poverty line, which only counts food, in the first half of 2026, 14th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the 31-area rate was 7.5%; a year earlier Mar del Plata-Batán's rate was 6.4%. INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 31.3%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in Mar del Plata-Batán are in extreme poverty?
4.3% of households in Mar del Plata-Batán 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 25.1%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Mar del Plata-Batán live in informal settlements?
0.3% of households in Mar del Plata-Batán were in a "villa de emergencia" (informal settlement) in the first quarter of 2026, 15th 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 Mar del Plata-Batán are overcrowded?
0.0% of households in Mar del Plata-Batán had critical overcrowding (more than three people per room) in the first quarter of 2026, joint lowest 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 Mar del Plata-Batán are near rubbish dumps or flood zones?
3.0% of households in Mar del Plata-Batán were within three blocks of a rubbish dump and 2.4% 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 Mar del Plata-Batán compares with other cities in Argentina
People below the poverty line (H1 2026)
Mar del Plata-Batán ranks 29 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Ushuaia-Río Grande | 25.9% |
| 25 | Rio Gallegos | 25.6% |
| 26 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 25.4% |
| 27 | Río Cuarto | 23.6% |
| 28 | Rosario | 23.1% |
| 29 | Mar del Plata-Batán | 20.4% |
| 30 | Neuquén-Plottier | 19.6% |
Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) (H1 2026 vs H1 2025)
Mar del Plata-Batán ranks 30 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Río Cuarto | -0.8 pts |
| 25 | Tucumán-Tafí Viejo | -2.9 pts |
| 26 | San Salvador de Jujuy-Palpalá | -3.6 pts |
| 27 | Rosario | -5.0 pts |
| 28 | Neuquén-Plottier | -6.4 pts |
| 29 | Rio Gallegos | -6.7 pts |
| 30 | Mar del Plata-Batán | -7.1 pts |
People below the extreme-poverty line (H1 2026)
Mar del Plata-Batán ranks 17 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the extreme-poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 20 | Tucumán-Tafí Viejo | 4.4% |
Households in informal settlements (Q1 2026)
Mar del Plata-Batán ranks 16 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households in informal settlements |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Tucumán-Tafí Viejo | 0.5% |
| 14 | San Salvador de Jujuy-Palpalá | 0.4% |
| 15 | Bahía Blanca-Cerri | 0.4% |
| 16 | Mar del Plata-Batán | 0.3% |
| 17 | Resistencia | 0.3% |
| 18 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 0.1% |
| 19 | Salta | 0.0% |
Households with critical overcrowding (Q1 2026)
Mar del Plata-Batán ranks 29 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with critical overcrowding |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | San Salvador de Jujuy-Palpalá | 0.6% |
| 25 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 0.6% |
| 26 | Salta | 0.6% |
| 27 | Rosario | 0.5% |
| 28 | Posadas | 0.3% |
| 29 | Mar del Plata-Batán | 0.0% |
| 30 | Ushuaia-Río Grande | 0.0% |
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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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