INDEC: 1.2 million in Argentina live in ‘critically overcrowded’ homes

More than one million people in Argentina are living in “critically overcrowded” households, a new report by the INDEC national statistics bureau has found.

According to data on living conditions based on 31 urban conglomerations nationwide, taken from the second half of last year , the problem affects 2.2 percent of households, reaching 4.1 percent of the population and affecting some 217,000 families nationwide.

Drilling down into those not classified as critically overcrowded (defined as those who have more than three people per room), 84.9 percent of households have less than two people per room, while 12.9 percent have between two or three people living in the same space.

In addition, INDEC reported that 81.6 percent of households and 77.9 percent of the population live in dwellings whose materials are of sufficient quality. Of the remainder, 12 percent of people reside in homes where materials are “partially insufficient,” with 6.5 percent classified as “insufficient.”

The bureau’s geographical information also revealed that 4.1 percent of households in Argentina are located near rubbish dumps, while another 6.5 percent live in homes located in areas prone to flooding.

The survey, based on data from INDEC’s Permanent Household Survey (EPH), also indicated that 94.2 percent of households have flush toilets and that 97.7 percent have access to running water inside their dwellings.

– TIMES/NA