Argentina — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Argentina: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Argentina is in Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay. It covers 2,780,400 sq km. Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border. Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest.
| Capital | Buenos Aires |
|---|---|
| Population | 45,418,098 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $1.213 trillion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $26,500 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -1.7% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 73.1% (2022 est.) |
| Unemployment | 7.9% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 55% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $96.899 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $79.999 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 78.8 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 34.6 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 92.5% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 9 July 1816 (from Spain) |
| Languages | Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous (Quechua, Guarani, Mapudungun) |
Argentina’s GDP is $1.213 trillion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $633.267 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew -1.7% (2024 est.). See where Argentina ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum +6 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The disinflation programme kept biting through 2026 — monthly inflation crushed to under 2% — anchoring one of the quarter's strongest momentum prints.
Growth returned with it. Argentina's quarter was the payoff of painful medicine, honestly earned.
- What our model rewards: a current-account surplus of $6 billion — the world pays it more than it pays out; GDP per capita of $26,500 (PPP) — prosperity far above the world average
- What drags it down: inflation running at 73.1% — eating paychecks; fertility of 1.4 children per woman — below replacement, the cradle is emptying
Lead, Zinc, Tin, Copper, Iron ore, Manganese, Oil, Uranium.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 61.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 6.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 2.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 11% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 16.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 78.496 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 983.1 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 147.2 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 21,514 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Gas 54.1%, Hydro 16.5%, Wind 11.0%, Nuclear 7.1%, Oil 6.2%, Solar 2.7%, Coal 0.8% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 38.9% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 358.9 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $96.899 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $79.999 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $16.9 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Javier Milei — President. President Javier Gerardo MILEI (since 10 December 2023)
Argentina maintains 87 embassies and 54 consulates abroad, hosts 86 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, OAS Washington. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 87 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 54 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 86 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, OAS Washington |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 via Wikipedia 'List of countries by number of diplomatic missions' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions ; hosted: Consular Affairs Center Jan 2026 report (in-country ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 4989 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 764 + 148 heliports (registration prefix LV) |
| Major seaports | Buenos Aires, Campana, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Puerto Belgrano, Puerto Ingeniero White, Puerto Madryn, Rosario, San Sebastian Bay, Santa Fe, Ushuaia, Zarate |
| Railways | 17866 km |
| Pipelines | 29,930 km gas, 41 km liquid petroleum gas, 6,248 km oil, 3,631 km refined products (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Buenos Aires (1,446,452 TEU, 2021) |
Major airports
Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) — Buenos Aires; Ezeiza International Airport - Ministro Pistarini (EZE) — Buenos Aires (Ezeiza); General Enrique Mosconi International Airport (CRD) — Comodoro Rivadavia; Gobernador Horacio Guzman International Airport (JUJ) — San Salvador de Jujuy; Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport (MDZ) — Mendoza; Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport (COR) — Cordoba; Martín Miguel de Güemes International Airport (SLA) — Salta; Piloto Civil Norberto Fernández International Airport (RGL) — Rio Gallegos; Presidente Perón International Airport (NQN) — Neuquén; Resistencia International Airport (RES) — Resistencia.
Showing 10 of 15 major airports.
Terminals
| LNG import terminals | Bahia Blanca |
|---|---|
| River ports | Arroyo Seco, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin (Parana) |
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Argentina.
Historical timeline of Argentina
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Argentina — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Argentina's power score?
Argentina has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.