Poverty and living standards in Rio Gallegos, Argentina: official figures
25.6% of people in Rio Gallegos lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 6th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the rate was 32.3%. That is about 35,000 people.
Is poverty rising in Rio Gallegos?
The poverty rate in Rio Gallegos was 32.3% in the first half of 2025 and 25.6% in the first half of 2026, down 6.7 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 Rio Gallegos are poor?
19.3% of households in Rio Gallegos were below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, 6th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 24.4%). People in poor households were a larger share of residents (25.6%) 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 Rio Gallegos?
2.6% of people in Rio Gallegos (about 4,000) were below the extreme-poverty line, which only counts food, in the first half of 2026, 3rd lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the 31-area rate was 7.5%; a year earlier Rio Gallegos's rate was 3.4%. INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 49.8%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in Rio Gallegos are in extreme poverty?
1.8% of households in Rio Gallegos 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 47.4%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Rio Gallegos live in informal settlements?
0.0% of households in Rio Gallegos 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 Rio Gallegos are overcrowded?
0.8% of households in Rio Gallegos had critical overcrowding (more than three people per room) in the first quarter of 2026, 9th 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 Rio Gallegos are near rubbish dumps or flood zones?
1.7% of households in Rio Gallegos were within three blocks of a rubbish dump and 2.8% 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 Rio Gallegos compares with other cities in Argentina
People below the poverty line (H1 2026)
Rio Gallegos ranks 25 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | San Salvador de Jujuy-Palpalá | 27.6% |
| 23 | Bahía Blanca-Cerri | 26.6% |
| 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% |
Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) (H1 2026 vs H1 2025)
Rio Gallegos ranks 29 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)
Rio Gallegos ranks 28 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the extreme-poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Río Cuarto | 3.2% |
| 25 | San Luis - El Chorrillo | 3.1% |
| 26 | Ushuaia-Río Grande | 3.1% |
| 27 | Neuquén-Plottier | 2.8% |
| 28 | Rio Gallegos | 2.6% |
| 29 | San Juan | 1.6% |
| 30 | San Salvador de Jujuy-Palpalá | 1.4% |
Households in informal settlements (Q1 2026)
Rio Gallegos ranks 30 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households in informal settlements |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 29 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 0.0% |
| 30 | Rio Gallegos | 0.0% |
Households with critical overcrowding (Q1 2026)
Rio Gallegos ranks 22 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with critical overcrowding |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 25 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 0.6% |
More on Rio Gallegos: 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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