Poverty and living standards in Mendoza, Argentina: official figures
36.9% of people in Mendoza lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 11th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the rate was 32.3%. That is about 395,000 people.
Is poverty rising in Mendoza?
The poverty rate in Mendoza was 33.5% in the first half of 2025 and 36.9% in the first half of 2026, up 3.4 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 Mendoza are poor?
27.4% of households in Mendoza were below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, joint 8th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 24.4%). People in poor households were a larger share of residents (36.9%) 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 Mendoza?
7.3% of people in Mendoza (about 78,000) were below the extreme-poverty line, which only counts food, in the first half of 2026, 11th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the 31-area rate was 7.5%; a year earlier Mendoza's rate was 4.7%. INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 18.9%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in Mendoza are in extreme poverty?
5.4% of households in Mendoza 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 17.6%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Mendoza live in informal settlements?
0.9% of households in Mendoza were in a "villa de emergencia" (informal settlement) in the first quarter of 2026, 8th 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 Mendoza are overcrowded?
2.0% of households in Mendoza had critical overcrowding (more than three people per room) in the first quarter of 2026, 11th 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 Mendoza are near rubbish dumps or flood zones?
1.5% of households in Mendoza were within three blocks of a rubbish dump and 0.6% 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 Mendoza compares with other cities in Argentina
People below the poverty line (H1 2026)
Mendoza ranks 11 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | La Plata | 37.8% |
| 9 | Catamarca | 37.3% |
| 10 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 37.2% |
| 11 | Mendoza | 36.9% |
| 12 | San Juan | 36.8% |
| 13 | San Luis - El Chorrillo | 35.7% |
| 14 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 35.5% |
Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) (H1 2026 vs H1 2025)
Mendoza ranks 11 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Posadas | +4.1 pts |
| 9 | Corrientes | +3.6 pts |
| 10 | Ushuaia-Río Grande | +3.6 pts |
| 11 | Mendoza | +3.4 pts |
| 12 | Catamarca | +3.3 pts |
| 13 | Bahía Blanca-Cerri | +3.1 pts |
| 14 | Santa Fé | +2.8 pts |
People below the extreme-poverty line (H1 2026)
Mendoza ranks 11 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the extreme-poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Buenos Aires | 8.4% |
| 9 | Catamarca | 8.3% |
| 10 | Posadas | 8.2% |
| 11 | Mendoza | 7.3% |
| 12 | Córdoba | 7.0% |
| 13 | Rosario | 6.2% |
| 14 | Bahía Blanca-Cerri | 6.2% |
Households in informal settlements (Q1 2026)
Mendoza ranks 8 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households in informal settlements |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 10 | Corrientes | 0.8% |
| 11 | La Plata | 0.8% |
Households with critical overcrowding (Q1 2026)
Mendoza ranks 11 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with critical overcrowding |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | San Luis - El Chorrillo | 2.3% |
| 9 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | 2.3% |
| 10 | Santa Fé | 2.1% |
| 11 | Mendoza | 2.0% |
| 12 | Paraná | 1.9% |
| 13 | Buenos Aires | 1.9% |
| 14 | Resistencia | 1.8% |
More on Mendoza: 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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