Argentina’s poverty rises to 32 percent under Milei with more pain forecast

Argentina’s poverty rate has risen, hitting 32.3 percent in the first half of 2026 under President Javier Milei, partly erasing the country’s earlier gains. According to figures released by the national statistics agency INDEC on Thursday, the poverty rate rose 4.1 percentage points between January and June compared with the last half of 2025, moving from 28.2 to 32.3 percent. Extreme poverty — where households cannot afford basic food needs — also rose from 6.3 to 7.5 percent. More Argentinians found themselves out of work in the second quarter after unemployment rose to 7.9 percent, the country’s highest level since 2021. For many who remain employed, their wages have struggled to keep up with the rising cost of basic goods and services.