People
Argentina is a country in South America with over 46.3 million people, most of whom live in urban areas. The share of people living in cities in Argentina has remained unchanged since 2015. More than a third of Argentina’s population lives in the capital city of Buenos Aires (its metropolitan area). The other two cities with over one million inhabitants in the country are Córdoba and Rosario.
There is no official data about ethnic groups in Argentina as the country’s National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC) does not collect such data. According to the CIA Factbook, more than 97% of the people in Argentina are Europeans and Mestizo (a person of a mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry).
The median age in Argentina is 31.9 years. The country’s demographic structure has not changed significantly in recent years although a slight tendency of aging has been noticed (the 0-14 age group declined from 2020 on).
The majority of Argentines are Christian. The country has an increasing number of people who declare themselves as having no religion.
Wealth
The Argentinian economy was devastated by the recent economic crisis, particularly the one caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the Argentinian economy fell by nearly 11% as people’s earnings tumbled and unemployment increased. In the past two years, recovery has been on the way, yet the poverty ratio remains high.
Freedom and Integrity
Press freedom in Argentina deteriorated steadily until 2022 when it improved sharply, according to the Press Freedom Index from the Reporters Without Borders. Yet, the situation has since worsened again, a result of highly concentrated media ownership, lack of governmental policies that would ensure media pluralism, and journalists struggling with low pay. Integrity has also worsened, the country rapidly falling in the Corruption Perception Index of the Transparency International.
Technology and Access
Use of technology has increased sharply in Argentina. Mobile penetration reached a high record of 140% in 2017 as many people started to use more than one SIM card. Mobile broadband subscriptions also reached a penetration of 80% in 2017, yet that figure dropped in the past few years, especially because of the Covid-19-induced crisis.