The Permanent Household Survey (EPH, Encuesta Permanente de Hogares) is Argentina's primary household survey, conducted quarterly by INDEC across 31 urban agglomerations representing roughly 70% of the national urban population. The Q2 2024 results — published in September 2024 — captured the full force of the economic adjustment that began in December 2023, revealing a sharp deterioration in living standards that pushed social indicators to levels not seen since the 2001–02 crisis.
Poverty and indigence reach crisis-era levels
The Q2 2024 EPH recorded a poverty rate of 52.9% of individuals — meaning more than half of the population in urban areas was unable to cover the basic total basket with their household income. Indigence (extreme poverty), measured against the basic food basket alone, reached 18.1%. Both figures represent the highest since the early 2000s and reflect the compound effect of the December 2023 exchange rate correction, the subsequent price spike, and the real wage erosion that followed. Our dashboard on the permanent household survey tracks these indicators quarterly, allowing users to examine trends across survey rounds and geographic breakdowns.
Regional disparities: the map of vulnerability
Poverty in Argentina is not distributed evenly across the country. The Q2 2024 data confirmed the persistence of long-standing regional gaps. The Northeast (NEA) region recorded the highest poverty rate at approximately 65%, followed by the Northwest (NOA) at around 62%. The Cuyo region and Patagonia recorded the lowest rates, reflecting differences in economic structure, employment formality, and access to social protection. Greater Buenos Aires (GBA) — the greater metropolitan area surrounding the capital — showed a poverty rate close to the national average at roughly 55%, but given its massive population size, it contained the largest absolute number of people living below the poverty line of any region in the country.
Household income and the purchasing power gap
Median household income in Q2 2024 stood at approximately $648,000 pesos per month. A reference family of four (two adults and two children) required roughly $754,000 pesos per month to cover the basic total basket and avoid being classified as poor — meaning the median household fell about 14% short of that threshold. The Gini coefficient for income distribution was recorded at 0.452, indicating a moderate-to-high level of inequality by regional standards. Our dashboard on employment and wages provides complementary data on wage dynamics that directly explain the income shortfalls documented by the EPH.
Signs of gradual recovery in Q3 2024
While the Q2 2024 figures painted a stark picture, subsequent months brought early signs of improvement. As monthly inflation decelerated sharply from the 25% peak in December 2023 toward single digits by mid-2024, and as wage negotiations (paritarias) began to partially restore purchasing power in the formal sector, the conditions that drive poverty measurement began to shift. Preliminary estimates for Q3 2024 pointed to a modest decline in poverty as real wages recovered and the cost of the basic baskets grew more slowly than incomes in the formal sector. However, the informal and self-employed segments — which account for nearly 45% of the workforce — recovered more slowly and unevenly, meaning the aggregate poverty reduction was gradual rather than dramatic.
