Extreme Poverty in Argentina: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

Behind every decimal point lies the profound transformation of daily existence. Extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $2.15/day, 2017 PPP, once dictated the lives of nearly half the population. To see these percentages decline is to witness the slow expansion of basic security across generations. What began as a pervasive struggle for survival has retreated into a marginal experience. This transition is not merely an abstraction; it reflects a shift in how millions of people have navigated the fundamental requirements of their physical and social world.

The historical trajectory is one of steady, persistent improvement. In the 1800s estimate, 49.83 % of the population lived in extreme poverty. By 1900 it was 37.4 %. As the decades passed, the figures moved downward through the 1950s at 17.8 % and the 1990s at 6.32 %. Today, in the 2020s, extreme poverty in Argentina stands at 1.5 % — ranking #65 of 157 countries. Projections suggest this path continues, with the 2050s projection at 0.63 % and the 2100s projection eventually reaching 0.2 %.

If you were born in the 1800s, your life was statistically tethered to the harsh realities of profound scarcity. For an individual living in the 1930s estimate, the burden of extreme poverty remained a structural reality for 25.64 % of the nation. Yet, for someone arriving today, the landscape has fundamentally altered. The narrowing of this gap represents the cumulative result of centuries of change. You can now use our interactive tools to see where you rank among everyone ever born.