Background: In 1816, the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. European immigrants heavily shaped the country's population and culture, with Italy and Spain providing the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political unrest and conflict between civilian and military factions. After World War II, former President Juan Domingo PERÓN -- the founder of the Peronist political movement -- introduced an era of populism, serving three non-consecutive terms in office until his death in 1974. Direct and indirect military interference in government throughout the PERÓN years led to a military junta taking power in 1976. In 1982, the junta failed in its bid to seize the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) by force from the United Kingdom. Democracy was reinstated in 1983 and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations of several presidents. The years 2003-15 saw Peronist rule by Néstor KIRCHNER (2003-07) and his spouse Cristina FERNÁNDEZ DE KIRCHNER (2007-15), who oversaw several years of strong economic growth (2003-11) followed by a gradual deterioration in the government’s fiscal situation and eventual economic stagnation and isolation. Argentina underwent a brief period of economic reform and international reintegration under Mauricio MACRI (2015-19), but a recession in 2018-19 and frustration with MACRI’s economic policies ushered in a new Peronist government in 2019 led by President Alberto FERNÁNDEZ and Vice President Cristina FERNÁNDEZ DE KIRCHNER. Argentina's high public debts, its pandemic-related inflationary pressures, and systemic monetary woes served as the catalyst for the 2023 elections, culminating with President Javier MILEI's electoral success. Argentina has since eliminated half of its government agencies and is seeking shock therapy to amend taxation and monetary policies.

Area
Total: 2,780,400 km²
Land: 2,736,690 km²
Water: 43,710 km²
Comparative: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Land boundaries
Total: 11,968 km
Border countries (5): (5) Bolivia 942 km; Brazil 1,263 km; Chile 6,691 km; Paraguay 2,531 km; Uruguay 541 km

Coastline: 4,989 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border

Elevation
Highest point: Cerro Aconcagua (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza; highest point in South America) 6,962 m
Lowest point: Laguna del Carbón (located between Puerto San Julián and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz) -105 m
Mean elevation: 595 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 42.4% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 14.8% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.4% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 27.3% (2023 est.)
Forest: 17.2% (2023 est.)
Other: 40.4% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 13,910 km² (2018)

Major rivers: Río de la Plata/Paraná river mouth (shared with Brazil [s], Paraguay, and Uruguay) - 4,880 km; Paraguay (shared with Brazil [s], and Paraguay [m]) - 2,549 km; Uruguay (shared with Brazil [s] and Uruguay [m]) - 1,610 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Natural hazards: San Miguel de Tucumán and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding in some areas
Volcanism: volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (2,997 m) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchón-Peteroa, San José, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma

Geography
Note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbón is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere; shares Iguazú Falls, the world's largest waterfalls system, with Brazil

Population
Total: 46,994,384 (2024 est.)
Male: 23,274,794
Female: 23,719,590
Distribution: one third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated
Growth rate: 0.79% (2024 est.)

Languages: Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous (Quechua, Guarani, Mapudungun)
Major-language sample(s): ; La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Roman Catholic 62.9%, Evangelical 15.3% (Pentecostal 13%, other Evangelical 2.3%), Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ 1.4%, other 1.2% (includes Muslim, Jewish), none 18.9% (includes agnostic and atheist), unspecified 0.3% (2019 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.3% (male 5,632,983/female 5,301,778)
15-64 years: 63.9% (male 15,071,215/female 14,956,069)
65 years and over: 12.8% (2024 est.) (male 2,570,596/female 3,461,743)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.9 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 31.5 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 19.4 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 5.1 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 33.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 32.1 years
Female: 34.6 years

Population growth rate: 0.79% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 15.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: one third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 92.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 15.490 million BUENOS AIRES (capital), 1.612 million Córdoba, 1.594 million Rosario, 1.226 million Mendoza, 1.027 million San Miguel de Tucumán, 914,000 La Plata (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 33 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 9.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 75.8 years
Female: 82 years

Total fertility rate: 2.15 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Total: (2020 est.) NA

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2% (2018 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 7.9% (2024 est.); 6.2% (2023 est.); 6.9% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Buenos Aires
Geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 22 W
Time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name translates as 'fair winds' in Spanish; the full original name, Nuestra Senora Santa Maria de los Buenos Aires, was given only to the port; the city was founded separately from the port in 1536 and was named Ciudad de la Santissima Trinidad (City of the Most Holy Trinity); the shortened version of the port name eventually became the city name

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 autonomous city*; Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires*, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlántico Sur (Tierra del Fuego - Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands), Tucuman
Note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica

Legal system: civil law system based on Western European legal systems
Note: in 2015, Argentina adopted a new civil code, replacing the old one in force since 1871

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Javier Gerardo MILEI (since 10 December 2023)
Head of government: President Javier Gerardo MILEI (since 10 December 2023)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by qualified majority vote (to win, a candidate must receive at least 45% of votes, or 40% of votes and a 10-point lead over the second-place candidate; if neither occurs, a second round is held); the president serves a 4-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term)
Most recent election date: 22 October 2023, with a runoff held 19 November 2023
2023: Javier Gerardo MILEI elected president in second round; percent vote in first round - Sergio Tomás MASSA (FR) 36.7%, Javier Gerardo MILEI (PL) 30%, Patricia BULLRICH 23.8% (JxC/PRO), Juan SCHIARETTI (PJ) 6.8%, Myriam BREGMAN (PTS) 2.7%; percent of vote in second round - Javier Gerardo MILEI 55.7%, Sergio Tomás MASSA 44.3%
2019: Alberto Ángel FERNÁNDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Alberto Angel FERNÁNDEZ (TODOS) 48.1%, Mauricio MACRI (PRO) 40.4%, Roberto LAVAGNA (independent) 6.2%, other 5.3%
Expected date of next election: October 2,027

Legislative branch
Legislature name: National Congress (Congreso de la nación)
Legislative structure: bicameral

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of sky blue (top), white, and sky blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face that is known as the Sun of May

National anthem
Title: 'Himno Nacional Argentino' (Argentine National Anthem)
Lyrics/music: Vicente LOPEZ y PLANES/Jose Blas PARERA
History: adopted 1813; Vicente LOPEZ was inspired to write the anthem after watching a play about the 1810 May Revolution against Spain; a 1900 presidential decree declared that only the first and last verses would be considered official, rather than the original nine verses

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 12 (7 cultural, 5 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: -1.7% (2024 est.); -1.6% (2023 est.); 5.3% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: -1.7% (2024 est.); -1.6% (2023 est.); 5.3% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 68.1% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 15% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 15.8% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.1% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 15.3% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -12.8% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6% (2024 est.)
Industry: 24% (2024 est.)
Services: 53.4% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel

Industrial production growth rate: -7.2% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 22.286 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 7.9% (2024 est.); 6.2% (2023 est.); 6.9% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 7.9% (2024 est.); 6.2% (2023 est.); 6.9% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $115.69 billion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $139.037 billion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 10% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $96.899 billion (2024 est.); $82.947 billion (2023 est.); $102.928 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: soybean meal, corn, trucks, soybean oil, crude petroleum (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $79.999 billion (2024 est.); $92.3 billion (2023 est.); $97.399 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: soybeans, vehicle parts/accessories, refined petroleum, natural gas, cars (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 47.631 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 114.667 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 31 million kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 11.393 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 27.027 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 61.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 6.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 2.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 11% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 16.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 869,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 2.534 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 300 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 1.936 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 799.999 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 807,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 749,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 2.483 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 43.69 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 46.028 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 2.344 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 5.225 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 396.464 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 198.141 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 5.022 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 102.998 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 90.122 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 78.496 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 7.034 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 15 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 62.7 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 132 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 89% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 11.5 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 25 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 0.6% of GDP (2024 est.); 0.5% of GDP (2023 est.); 0.6% of GDP (2022 est.); 0.8% of GDP (2021 est.); 0.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

Airports: 764 (2025)

Heliports: 148 (2025)

Railways
Total: 17,866 km (2018)

Merchant marine
Total: 201 (2023)
By type: container ship 1, bulk carrier 1 general cargo 8, oil tanker 33, other 158