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Argentina

Includes Argentina real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Argentina economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Argentina best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential republic

Capital City: Buenos Aires

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Central Bank of Argentina


Currency Argentine pesos (ARS)

International Reserves USD 39.40 billion (2020)
World Bank, last updated 12/16/2021
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 455.17 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) USD 1,049.40 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2017 2.8%
2018 -2.6%
2019 -2.1%
2020* -9.9%
2021* 7.5%

*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 9,929.15 (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP per capita – PPP USD 22,891.70 (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 0.73% (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 6.8%
industry: 22.5%
services: 54.3%
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2017 25.7%
2018 34.3%
2019 53.5%
2020* 42%
2021* N/A%

*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2017 25.7%
2018 34.3%
2019 53.5%
2020* 42%
2021* N/A%

*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: CCC+

Moody’s rating: Ca

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s
Unemployment rate 2017 8.4%
2018 9.2%
2019 9.8%
2020* 11.6%
2021* 10.0%

*Estimate
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2017 57%
2018 85.2%
2019 88.7%
2020* 102.8%
2021* N/A

*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2017 -4.2%
2019 -2.2%
2019 -0.4%
2020* -6.2%
2021* N/A

*Estimate

Market value of publicly traded shares USD 39.4 billion (2019)
World Bank / Market capitalizationv
Largest Companies
MercadoLibre, YPF
Forbes Global 2000 (2021)

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 5.9% (2017)

Shares in world total merchandising export 0.004% (2018)

Shares in world total commercial services export 0.008% (2018)

Total exports USD 1.6 billion (2018 estimate)

Export commodities Opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs

Total imports USD 8.3 billion (2018 estimate)

Import commodities Machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Exports – major partners India 56.5%, Pakistan 29.6% (2017)

Imports – major partners China 21%, Iran 20.5%, Pakistan 11.8%, Kazakhstan 11%, Uzbekistan 6.8%, Malaysia 5.3%(2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance
USD 4.5 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
0.99% (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
FDI inflows 2016 USD 11.9 billion
2019 USD 1.5 billion
2020 USD 1.2 billion
FDI Outflows 2018 USD 1.8 billion
2019 USD 1.5 billion
2020 USD 1.2 billion
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser 2017 USD 540 million
2018 USD -270 million
2019 USD 419 million
2020 USD 109 million


United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

126 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:

Starting a Business: 141 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 155 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 111 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 123 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 104 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 61 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 170 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 119 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 97 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 111 out of 190 countries
World Bank – Doing Business 2020
Global competitiveness ranking 83 out of 141 (2019)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 144 / Score: 50.1 (Mostly Unfree)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

The Heritage Foundation – 2022 Index of Economic Freedom

Population & Geographic Data

Total Area 2,780,400 sq km



Total Population 1990 32.53 Million
2000 36.78 Million
2010 40.79 Million
2015 43.13 Million
2020 45.55 Million
Urban population as % of total population 1960 73.6%
1980 82.9%
2000 89.1%
2020 91.9%
Population median age 31.9 years (

CIA World Factbook / Population median age
Population growth rate 0.89% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 77.5 years (2018 estimate)

CIA World Factbook / Life expectancy
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day 2.4% (last available estimate, 2017)

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) 41.2 (last available estimate, 2017)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Freedom House rating Free
Political Rights: 2
Civil Liberties: 2 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed: 21.9%

Mobile: 132.1%

(2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 74.29 % (2017)

Language & Religon

Languages Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous (Mapudungun, Quechua)

Literacy
Total population: 99.1%
Male: 99.1%
Female: 99.1%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2016 est.)
Religions Nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%

World Rankings

Population 2.8 M
Mercer Cost of living index N/A
C02 Emissions per capita 1.9 metric tons per capita (2018)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Argentina

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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