MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Shocking poverty among young Argentines

Six of every ten Argentine young adults live in poverty, nearly double the percentage in 1999, reported this week Buenos Aires daily “La Nacion”.

Five years ago, 31% of Argentines between 15 and 29 years could not meet their basic needs but that percentage has now jumped to 60%, equivalent to 5.5 million of Argentina's 9.4 million young adults.

Quoting National Youth Office statistics, La Nación reports that 15% of young Argentines do not go to school or work, and only 37.5% have a job. Particularly hard hit are young women adults with an employment rate of 31% compared to the 44% for the opposite gender. However La Nacion cautions that the statistics report is based on data from May 2003 and the current situation may be better because the Argentine economy has since picked up strongly and poverty rate is estimated to have dropped 10%.

La Nacion also adds that reports from the Ibero-American Youth Organization and the Economic Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal) indicate that the porverty problem among young adults is common throughout Latin America.

"Poverty among youths increased in five countries with Argentina and Venezuela being the most worrisome cases", point out the reports.