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per capita GDP measured in USD is a very misleading statistic for Argentina currency devaluation + high import tariffs + capital controls mean GDP is less than half of Argentines' PPP (purchasing power parity) it's not a rich country by any means, but it's solidly middle income
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PPP is more meaningful if what you're trying to measure quality of life in the country GDP measured in USD is more useful to measure the country's purchasing power abroad Argentines have quite a bit of purchasing power to buy local goods, they just can't afford many imports!
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Argentina's tumultuous monetary history is a big part of why it has a much wider gap between its USD GDP and its PPP than other countries
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