Poverty and living standards in Río Cuarto, Argentina: official figures
23.6% of people in Río Cuarto lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 4th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the rate was 32.3%. That is about 44,000 people.
Is poverty rising in Río Cuarto?
The poverty rate in Río Cuarto was 24.4% in the first half of 2025 and 23.6% in the first half of 2026, down 0.8 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 Río Cuarto are poor?
16.2% of households in Río Cuarto were below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, 3rd lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 24.4%). People in poor households were a larger share of residents (23.6%) 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 Río Cuarto?
3.2% of people in Río Cuarto (about 6,000) were below the extreme-poverty line, which only counts food, in the first half of 2026, 7th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the 31-area rate was 7.5%; a year earlier Río Cuarto's rate was 3.6%. INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 30.1%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in Río Cuarto are in extreme poverty?
2.4% of households in Río Cuarto 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 27.7%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Río Cuarto live in informal settlements?
0.9% of households in Río Cuarto were in a "villa de emergencia" (informal settlement) in the first quarter of 2026, 9th 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 Río Cuarto are overcrowded?
1.0% of households in Río Cuarto had critical overcrowding (more than three people per room) in the first quarter of 2026, 10th 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 Río Cuarto are near rubbish dumps or flood zones?
3.4% of households in Río Cuarto were within three blocks of a rubbish dump and 3.6% 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 Río Cuarto compares with other cities in Argentina
People below the poverty line (H1 2026)
Río Cuarto ranks 27 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)
Río Cuarto ranks 24 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Resistencia | +0.5 pts |
| 22 | Salta | +0.2 pts |
| 23 | Santa Rosa-Toay | -0.2 pts |
| 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 |
People below the extreme-poverty line (H1 2026)
Río Cuarto ranks 24 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the extreme-poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Salta | 4.4% |
| 22 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | 3.9% |
| 23 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 3.7% |
| 24 | Río Cuarto | 3.2% |
| 25 | San Luis - El Chorrillo | 3.1% |
| 26 | Ushuaia-Río Grande | 3.1% |
| 27 | Neuquén-Plottier | 2.8% |
Households in informal settlements (Q1 2026)
Río Cuarto ranks 9 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households in informal settlements |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 12 | San Luis - El Chorrillo | 0.5% |
Households with critical overcrowding (Q1 2026)
Río Cuarto ranks 21 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with critical overcrowding |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 1.4% |
| 19 | Rawson-Trelew-Playa Unión | 1.3% |
| 20 | Corrientes | 1.3% |
| 21 | Río Cuarto | 1.0% |
| 22 | Rio Gallegos | 0.8% |
| 23 | Neuquén-Plottier | 0.7% |
| 24 | San Salvador de Jujuy-Palpalá | 0.6% |
More on Río Cuarto: 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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