At the end of December, Argentina was briefly the center of the world. There was unprecedented joy in the country after the national football team became world champions with Lionel Messi. There was a celebration in the country for several days. day and night.

But behind that smile lies the brutal truth. Poverty in Argentina is increasing. Hyperinflation has caused two out of five Argentines to live below the poverty line.

The inflation rate rose to more than 100 percent for the first time in thirty years last month, making it among the highest in the world. Food prices, in particular, fluctuate, causing inflation for the poor in particular. The situation is the talk of the day in the country and also leads to many demonstrations in major cities.

At the country’s largest airport, problems are unfolding excruciatingly every day. Every night, more than a hundred people search for a place to sleep, making Jorge Newbery International Airport the largest homeless shelter in the country.

The situation has only been exacerbated by the Corona pandemic. Many small businesses were not supported by the government and went bankrupt. Argentina has also been running huge budget deficits for years and the government debt is constantly increasing. The number of homeless people who can be found at the airport is also growing every week.

At this airport near the capital, Buenos Aires, they note a rapid increase in the number of homeless people:

Many homeless people prefer to spend the night at the airport rather than on the streets of Buenos Aires. There is a high probability that you will be robbed at night in the capital. Plus, the airport is clean and the homeless have a roof over their heads.

The chance of them being kicked out is slim. The security company at the airport says they don’t have the people to evacuate the homeless and accept the situation as it is now.

When the first flights depart and arrive early in the morning, some homeless people go to work at the airport. And although they make some money doing it, it’s nowhere near enough to get it. “If I pay the rent, I can’t eat, and if I buy food, I live on the street,” one homeless person told the Associated Press. Thus, it defines the situation in which many people suffer.

Last year, unemployment in the country fell to 6.3 percent, but also because of a sharp decline in purchasing power, many people with jobs can’t make ends meet. Argentina’s government has long tried to contain inflation, but partition has made the country’s economic policies less effective.

Argentina is not on the brink of collapse for the first time. The country also went bankrupt in 2020, for the second time in less than twenty years. The financial problems started long before the Corona pandemic. The government has spent years irresponsibly spending a lot of money. There is also a lot of corruption within the government.

In total, Argentina has gone bankrupt nine times in history.