One in five Argentines were destitute and over half were poor in the first quarter of 2024, according to an analysis of official data by the Argentine Catholic University’s (UCA) respected Social Debt Observatory. 

Poverty hit 55% and destitution rose to 20% in the first three months of the year, the observatory found.

Children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable, the numbers show: seven out of 10 are poor. Poverty is also hitting 45% of workers, while 14% are destitute, up 10 and 5 points respectively since the last trimester of 2023. 

Results are even grimmer in some regions. Resistencia, the capital of Chaco province, is the poorest urban area in Argentina: 80% of the population is poor and 39%, destitute. In most regions of the country, more than half the population is poor and more than 15% destitute.

The numbers are a result of the observatory’s examination of microdata from the INDEC statistics bureau’s Permanent Household Survey, which is released every three months. The latest survey results were published on Friday.

INDEC’s official poverty and destitution numbers are released every six months.

The data shows that Argentina’s socioeconomic situation has significantly worsened compared with 2023. Poverty was at 45% and destitution at 15% in the final quarter, so the new numbers indicate rises of around 10 and 6 percentage points. The first three months of 2024 was the first full quarter of Javier Milei’s presidency.

Compared with the first trimester of 2023, poverty went from 39% to 55% (a 16-point increase) and destitution went from 9% to 20% (up 11 points).

Poverty and destitution numbers are taken by comparing a household’s total income, including pay, welfare and pensions. The INDEC considers a family “destitute” when their monthly income is less than the basic food basket. A family is considered to be in poverty if they earn less than the basic food basket plus services, known as the total basic basket.