Inflation in Argentina got here in at 102.5 p.c within the 12 months to February, exceeding the symbolic triple-digit mark and reaching a brand new 32-year excessive.
Latin America’s third largest financial system noticed inflation develop 6.6 p.c within the month of February and 13.1 p.c because the starting of the yr, the Indec nationwide statistics institute mentioned.
Argentina has one of many highest inflation charges on this planet.
In 2022, it reached 94.8 p.c, the nation’s highest annual determine since 1991, when it exceeded 171 p.c.
The 2 earlier years had seen hyperinflation at greater than 2,000 p.c.
The federal government has set a 2023 inflation goal of 60 p.c.
Argentina has been grappling with an financial disaster for years, registering double-digit inflation in every of the final 12 years.
In December, the center-left authorities of President Alberto Fernandez reached an settlement with meals and private hygiene firms to freeze the costs of round 2,000 merchandise till March, and capping rises on one other 30,000 merchandise to 4 p.c a month.
Some 36.5 p.c of Argentina’s 47 million inhabitants lives in poverty, together with 2.6 million in excessive poverty, in line with official figures from mid-2022.
Argentina’s financial system grew by 5.2 p.c in 2022, in comparison with a ten.3 p.c the earlier yr, which ended three years of recession.
On Monday, the IMF mentioned it had reached an settlement with the federal government in Buenos Aires on the fourth evaluation of an assist bundle for the South American nation, paving the best way for the disbursement of some $5.3 billion.
The brand new tranche of funding would carry the funds allotted to Argentina because the signing of the help program in March 2022 to $28.8 billion.
Argentina’s development for 2023 is anticipated to gradual to simply two p.c, in line with the World Financial institution.
If that does occur, it will be the primary time in 15 years that Argentina had skilled three successive years of development.
© Agence France-Presse
