Poverty and living standards in San Juan, Argentina: official figures
36.8% of people in San Juan lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 12th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; across the 31 survey areas the rate was 32.3%. That is about 207,000 people.
Is poverty rising in San Juan?
The poverty rate in San Juan was 36.0% in the first half of 2025 and 36.8% in the first half of 2026, up 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 San Juan are poor?
27.4% of households in San Juan 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 (36.8%) 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 San Juan?
1.6% of people in San Juan (about 9,000) were below the extreme-poverty line, which only counts food, in the first half of 2026, 2nd lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the 31-area rate was 7.5%; a year earlier San Juan's rate was 5.2%. INDEC flags this estimate as imprecise (coefficient of variation 39.1%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in San Juan are in extreme poverty?
1.4% of households in San Juan 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 37.6%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in San Juan live in informal settlements?
0.0% of households in San Juan 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 San Juan are overcrowded?
1.5% of households in San Juan had critical overcrowding (more than three people per room) in the first quarter of 2026, 15th 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 San Juan are near rubbish dumps or flood zones?
6.2% of households in San Juan were within three blocks of a rubbish dump and 1.0% 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 San Juan compares with other cities in Argentina
People below the poverty line (H1 2026)
San Juan ranks 12 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | People below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 15 | Rawson-Trelew-Playa Unión | 35.1% |
Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) (H1 2026 vs H1 2025)
San Juan ranks 19 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in the poverty rate since H1 2025 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Córdoba | +1.6 pts |
| 17 | Formosa | +1.6 pts |
| 18 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | +1.0 pts |
| 19 | San Juan | +0.8 pts |
| 20 | Buenos Aires | +0.6 pts |
| 21 | Resistencia | +0.5 pts |
| 22 | Salta | +0.2 pts |
People below the extreme-poverty line (H1 2026)
San Juan ranks 29 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)
San Juan ranks 20 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households in informal settlements |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Resistencia | 0.3% |
| 18 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 0.1% |
| 19 | Salta | 0.0% |
| 20 | San Juan | 0.0% |
| 21 | Santa Fé | 0.0% |
| 22 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | 0.0% |
| 23 | Neuquén-Plottier | 0.0% |
Households with critical overcrowding (Q1 2026)
San Juan ranks 16 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with critical overcrowding |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Buenos Aires | 1.9% |
| 14 | Resistencia | 1.8% |
| 15 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 1.8% |
| 16 | San Juan | 1.5% |
| 17 | Bahía Blanca-Cerri | 1.5% |
| 18 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 1.4% |
| 19 | Rawson-Trelew-Playa Unión | 1.3% |
More on San Juan: 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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