Poverty in Argentina reached its highest level since the aftermath of the 2001 financial crisis in the first half of the year, as President Javier Milei unleashed a shock therapy program to put an already reeling economy back on its feet.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s poverty rate jumped from almost 42% to 53% during the first six months of Javier Milei’ s presidency, the statistics agency reported Thursday, a steep rise reflecting the pain of the country’s most intense austerity program in recent memory.

Argentina’s poverty rate soared to almost 53% in the first half of the year, official data released on Thursday showed, the first hard evidence of the painful impact of libertarian President Javier Milei’s tough austerity measures.

Argentina’s poverty rate has surged to 52.9 per cent under its government’s austerity programme, in a warning sign for libertarian President Javier Milei as his popularity falters. The rate, published by the national statistics agency on Thursday,

Official report says Argentina's poverty rate has spiked to 53% in first six months of austerity under President Milei