President Javier Milei's approval rating in Argentina fell to 36.4 percent in March 2026, its lowest level since he took office, as unemployment rose and public dissatisfaction deepened.
Approval Falls, Disapproval Rises
The March result was a five-point drop from February 2026, while Milei's disapproval rating climbed six percentage points to nearly 62 percent. The findings came from the LatAm Pulse survey, conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News, which polled 5,037 people in Argentina between March 20 and 24, 2026, with a 95 percent confidence level and a margin of error of plus or minus one percentage point.
Milei, leader of La Libertad Avanza, also trailed Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof in public image for the first time in March 2026. Kicillof held a positive image of 38 percent compared with Milei's 37 percent. Kicillof is a potential presidential candidate for the opposition Peronist party next year. His party won a provincial vote in September 2025, which led to a market sell-off and spurred a US$20-billion currency swap line for Argentina from the Trump administration. Milei's party later won the national midterm race in October 2025, including in Buenos Aires Province.
Jobs, Inflation, and Trade Deal Backlash
The decline in Milei's approval rating was attributed to corruption allegations within his government, rising unemployment, and public dissatisfaction with a trade deal solidified in February 2026 with the Donald Trump administration. Unemployment in Argentina climbed to 7.5 percent at the end of 2025, the highest fourth-quarter rate since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nearly three-quarters of survey respondents described the labor market as "bad," and 65 percent viewed the economy negatively. Corruption was the top concern for Argentines, followed by unemployment and inflation. Monthly inflation, which Milei had aimed to keep below one percent this year, remained closer to three percent and has not cooled since June 2025.
While the economy improved from the crisis Milei inherited, the recovery lost momentum. Support for the trade agreement with the U.S. fell to 41 percent in March 2026, down from nearly 60 percent in a January 2025 poll when it was under negotiation. Argentines expect the pact will likely result in factory and small business closures.
A cryptocurrency scandal from February 2025 resurfaced, and Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni faced scrutiny two weeks ago, around March 12, 2026, over his wife’s travel on the presidential plane and his use of a private jet for a family vacation. Other regional leaders, including Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum, and Chile's new President José Antonio Kast, also saw dips in their approval ratings. Kast is facing backlash over his decision to hike fuel prices.
President Javier Milei delivered his annual speech to parliament on March 1, 2026.