Argentina faces structural demographic shift as birth rates decline

Argentina is experiencing a significant structural demographic shift characterized by a sharp decline in birth rates and an aging population. In the city of Santa Fe, 2025 marked the first time in recorded history that deaths exceeded births. According to a report by the Municipality and the local Chamber of Commerce, the birth rate in Santa Fe dropped from 21.8 per thousand inhabitants in 2014 to just 8.7 in 2025, while the mortality rate rose to 10.6.

Nationally, data from the Ministry of Health and RENAPER show that the decline in births began in 2012, predating the legalization of voluntary interruption of pregnancy. In 2024, Argentina recorded 402,474 births, an 11% decrease from the previous year and a 47% cumulative drop since 2012.

Experts and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) suggest the trend is driven by socioeconomic factors, including housing access, job precariousness, and unpaid care burdens. This demographic contraction poses potential long-term challenges for the national pension system, which currently relies on 12.8 million contributors amidst high labor informality.