Argentina sees over 4 million retirees in debt as arrears triple

A new study by Provincia Microcréditos shows that 44.6 % of Argentine adults of retirement age—more than four million people—carry active debt. The share of retirees with arrears has risen sharply, with debts over 90 days past due increasing from 4.1 % in May 2025 to 11.4 % in May 2026, effectively tripling in a year.

National delinquency reached 12.8 % in May, while the province of Buenos Aires recorded an 18.6 % arrears rate. The report links the surge to a 19 % loss in the purchasing power of the minimum pension since November 2023 and a cumulative 30 % decline compared with early 2018. To cope, 34.9 % of retirees tapped savings, 14.4 % took formal loans, 14.1 % sought help from family or friends, and 10.4 % sold personal assets. The economic pressure also pushed many seniors back into the labor market, especially in Greater Buenos Aires, where employment among retirees rose from one in five to nearly one in four by the end of the year.