Poverty and living standards in San Luis, Argentina: official figures
35.7% of people in the Gran San Luis urban area lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, about 91,000 people; 14th highest of the 32 urban areas INDEC reports (all 31 areas: 32.3%). INDEC measures income poverty only in these urban areas, not across whole provinces.
Is poverty rising in San Luis?
Poverty in the Gran San Luis area was up 5.6 percentage points on the second half of 2025 (30.1%) and up 5.4 percentage points on the first half of 2025 (30.3%). 26.9% of households were poor in the first half of 2026.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in San Luis cannot afford basic food?
3.1% of people in the Gran San Luis area were indigent in the first half of 2026, meaning household income did not cover the basic food basket (coefficient of variation 21.0%: INDEC advises treating it with caution); joint 6th lowest of the 32 urban areas INDEC reports (all 31 areas: 7.5%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in San Luis have unmet basic needs?
49,064 people in San Luis, 9.1% of those in private homes, lived in households with at least one unmet basic need (NBI) at the 2022 census, 12th lowest of the 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City (Argentina: 9.4%). In 2010 the share was 10.8%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many households in San Luis live in poor housing?
6.5% of households in San Luis had unmet basic needs in 2022 (12,092 of 185,549): 2.7% were critically overcrowded (more than three people per room), 1.0% had no toilet and 2.1% lived in precarious or unsuitable housing. In 1980 the household rate was 27.7%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyMore figures
- When INDEC's current poverty series began in the second half of 2016, 27.3% of people in the Gran San Luis area were poor, against 35.7% in the first half of 2026. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copy
How San Luis compares with other provinces
People below the poverty line in the province's largest EPH urban area (H1 2026)
San Luis ranks 11 of 24, highest first. INDEC measures income poverty in 31 urban areas, not whole provinces; each province is shown by its largest surveyed urban area.
| Rank | Region | People below the poverty line in the province's largest EPH urban area |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Buenos Aires Province | 36.9% |
| 9 | Mendoza | 36.9% |
| 10 | San Juan | 36.8% |
| 11 | San Luis | 35.7% |
| 12 | Entre Rios | 34.3% |
| 13 | Rio Negro | 33.2% |
| 14 | Cordoba | 31.1% |
People below the indigence line in the province's largest EPH urban area (H1 2026)
San Luis ranks 18 of 24, highest first. Each province is shown by its largest surveyed urban area.
| Rank | Region | People below the indigence line in the province's largest EPH urban area |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Salta | 4.4% |
| 16 | Santiago del Estero | 3.9% |
| 17 | Chubut | 3.7% |
| 18 | San Luis | 3.1% |
| 19 | Tierra del Fuego | 3.1% |
| 20 | Neuquen | 2.8% |
| 21 | Santa Cruz | 2.6% |
People in households with unmet basic needs (Census 2022) (2022)
San Luis ranks 13 of 24, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People in households with unmet basic needs (Census 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Misiones | 11.1% |
| 11 | La Rioja | 10.6% |
| 12 | Mendoza | 9.2% |
| 13 | San Luis | 9.1% |
| 14 | Buenos Aires Province | 9.0% |
| 15 | Neuquen | 8.8% |
| 16 | Catamarca | 8.8% |
More on San Luis: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · Argentina
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC): Necesidades Basicas Insatisfechas (NBI): households and people with unmet basic needs by province, censuses 1980-2022 (Cuadros 1-5), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7b03432b63f7…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC): Incidencia de la pobreza y la indigencia en 31 aglomerados urbanos, primer semestre de 2026: Cuadros 4.1-4.4 (poverty and indigence by urban area, with coefficients of variation, and the series from the second half of 2016), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d6fe78610628…)
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