Argentina's poverty rate fell sharply in the second half of 2024, the government's INDEC statistics agency said on Monday, a turnaround for libertarian President Javier Milei after his shock austerity had initially plunged millions into hardship. The 38.1% rate was down from an eye-watering 52.9% in the first half of last year after Milei took office in late 2023, devaluing the peso currency and taking what he calls a "chainsaw" to state spending to overturn a deep fiscal deficit.