Argentina

New Internationalist, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Marcela Lopez Levy

Religion: 90% Catholic, but the majority are non-practising.

Language: Spanish, but many European and indigenous languages are also spoken.

Sources: World Guide, State of the World's Children 2005, UNDP.

Last profiled January 1992

RELATED ARTICLE: STAR RATINGS

INCOME DISTRIBUTION FAIR

Inequality has grown dramatically since the late 1980s, although Argentina retains the largest middle class in Latin America; its inequality rating has gone from best in the region to average. 1992 FAIR

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LITERACY EXCELLENT

97%, the result of a long-standing emphasis on the importance of education and state provision; the latter is being eroded by cuts in social spending and growing numbers living in poverty. 1992 EXCELLENT

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LIFE EXPECTANCY EXCELLENT

74 years (Chile 76, US 77). However, Argentina's overall Human Development Index rating declined between 2000 and 2002. 1992 EXCELLENT

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POSITION OF WOMEN FAIR

A third of parliamentarians are women, and over 50% of professional and technical workers. But abortion is taboo, while domestic violence is widespread and not tackled by police or judiciary. 1992 FAIR

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FREEDOM EXCELLENT

There is no censorship or political violence, although 'trigger happy' police violence is a serious problem. The protests of 2001 have seen an explosion of alternative media and critical publications. 1992 GOOD

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SEXUAL MINORITIES FAIR

Homosexuality: Legal, though lesbians and gay men are banned from the armed forces. Gay marriages are legal in Buenos Aires. Gender reassignment performed without prosecution. But still a deeply homophobic culture.

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RELATED ARTICLE: POLITICS

NI ASSESSMENT GOOD

The Kirchner Administration is Left-Peronist, the first Government openly to criticize the neoliberal model first implanted in 1976 and its social consequences. But there is no radical programme, rather a gradual process of reform of privatizations and social policies. Kirchner has attracted international attention for keeping the country in default and negotiating hard to reduce the value of debt owed. The combination of progressive policies, particularly in relation to human rights, and economic growth keeps his popularity very high.