Demographics of Argentina 67620 225991507 2008-07-16T10:27:38Z 75.82.22.106 /* Demographic data */ {{Argentina main topics}} This article is about the [[demographics]] features of the [[population]] of [[Argentina]], including distribution, [[Ethnic group|ethnicity]], [[Economy of Argentina|economic status]] and other. ==Origins and ethnicity== [[Image:Villagralbel.jpg|thumb|right|180px|German colony in [[Villa General Belgrano|Villa Gral Belgrano]].]] [[Image:Delantales blancos 2.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Children at school, Buenos Aires.]] [[Image:imagenchicos.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Children at a party, [[Rosario]].]] {{main|Immigration in Argentina}} [[Argentina]], along with other areas of new settlement like [[Demography of Canada|Canada]], [[Demography of Australia|Australia]] or [[Demography of New Zealand|New Zealand]] is a melting pot of different peoples, both autochthonous and immigrants. Citizens of predominant [[White Latin American|European descent]] make up the great majority of the population, with estimates varying from white 89.7%<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Argentina.html Argentina<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> to 97%<ref name="CIA">[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ar.html CIA - The World Factbook - Argentina]</ref> of the total population. The last national census, based on self-ascription, indicated a similar figure.<ref>[http://www.turismo.gov.ar/eng/menu.htm Turismo de Argentina]</ref> The most common ethnic groups are [[Italian people|Italian]] and [[Spaniard]] (mostly [[Galicians]] and [[Basques]]). There are also significant [[Germanic people|Germanic]], [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]], [[British people|British]] and [[French people|French]] populations. Waves of immigrants from European countries arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main contributors were [[Spain]], [[Italy]], [[France]] (mostly settled in Buenos Aires city and province), [[Eastern European]] nations such as [[Croatia]], [[Poland]], [[Russia]], [[Romania]], [[Ukraine]] and the [[Balkans]] (especially [[Greece]], [[Serbia]] and [[Montenegro]]), [[Switzerland]], [[Germany]], the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Ireland]] (Buenos Aires and Patagonia), and [[Scandinavia]] (especially [[Sweden]]). Smaller waves of settlers from [[Australia]], [[South Africa]] and the [[United States]] are recorded in Argentine immigration records. By the 1910s, over 30 percent of the country's population was non-native Argentine after immigration rates peaked, and half of Buenos Aires' population was foreign-born. <ref>[http://alhim.revues.org/document432.html Dinámica migratoria: coyuntura y estructura en la Argentina de fines del XX<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/hacienda/sis_estadistico/anu_estadistico/01/web01/c110.htm] </ref> The overwhelming majority of Argentina's [[Jew]]ish community (about 2% of the population) derives from immigrants of Northern, Central, and Eastern European origin ([[Ashkenazi Jews]]). Argentina's Jewish population is by far the largest Jewish community in all of [[Latin America]] and is the fifth largest in the world. [[Buenos Aires]] itself is said to have 100,000 practicing Jews, making it one of the largest Jewish urban centers in the world (see also [[History of the Jews in Argentina]]). Small numbers of people from Asia have also settled Argentina, mainly in Buenos Aires. The first [[Asian-Argentines]] were of [[Japanese people|Japanese]] descent, but [[Koreans]], [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]], [[Chinese people|Chinese]] and [[Laotians]] soon followed. <!--Please do not keep adding South Asians: Indians or Pakistanis, and West African immigrants- the population is negligible at best. If you find they became a noticable percentage of the Argentine population, cite your sources and web pages you got the information from.--> ===Colonies=== Most immigrants, regardless of origin, settled in the city of Buenos Aires or around (Greater Buenos Aires or [[Buenos Aires Province]]). However, in the first stages of immigration, some formed colonies (especially [[agricultural colonies in Argentina|agricultural colonies]]) in other parts of the country, often encouraged by the Argentine government and/or sponsored by private individuals and organizations. Many Scandinavian, British (English and [[Scottish people|Scottish]]) and Irish immigrants settled in Patagonia; today, the [[Chubut Valley]] has a significant [[Welsh settlement in Argentina|Welsh-descended population]] and retains many aspects of [[Wales|Welsh]] culture. But since the 1980s, many Welsh Argentines began to emigrate to [[Canada]] and [[Australia]]. German and [[Swiss people|Swiss]] colonies settled in the provinces of [[Entre Ríos Province|Entre Ríos]], [[Misiones Province|Misiones]], [[Formosa Province|Formosa]], [[Córdoba Province (Argentina)|Córdoba Province]] and Patagonia, as well as in Buenos Aires itself. As many as 8 million may be of German ancestry, third largest after Italian and Spanish.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} Immigration from the [[Chile]]an island of [[Chiloé Island|Chiloé]] made up much of the Chilean immigration to the southern region of [[Patagonia]] during the late 19th century. Today, seasonal migration of farm laborers along with many miners in the Andean provinces come from Chile, or Peru and Bolivia. ===Indigenous peoples=== {{See also|Argentine Amerindians}} According to the provisional data of [[INDEC]]'s Complementary Survey of Indigenous Peoples (ECPI) 2004 - 2005<ref>''[http://www.indec.mecon.ar/nuevaweb/cuadros/2/ECPI_res_generales_junio2006.pdf INDEC: Encuesta Complementaria de Pueblos Indígenas (ECPI) 2004 - 2005]'' (in Spanish), [[National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina|INDEC]]. Document dated June 26, 2006; URL accessed on [[March 29]], [[2006]].</ref>, only 402,921 indigenous persons (about 1% of the total population) reside in Argentina. An additional 4.5% are labeled as [[Mestizo]].<ref>[http://www.turismo.gov.ar/esp/menu.htm Argentina Turismo, Información, Información general] accessed: 2006-08-30.</ref> ===Emigration=== The rate of Argentine [[emigration]] to [[Europe]] (especially to [[Spain]] and [[Italy]]<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901030120-407301,00.html Reversal Of Fortune - TIME<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>) and, to a lesser degree, to [[North America]] (mostly to [[Mexico]] and the [[United States]]) peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s and is noteworthy. ==Population dynamics== [[Image:Argentina-demography.png|thumb|200px|right|Demographics of Argentina, data from [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], year 2005; Number of inhabitants in thousands.]] In {{census-ar|2001}}, Argentina had a population of 36,260,130 million inhabitants, of which 1,527,320, or 4.2%, were born abroad. The population growth rate in 2008 was estimated to be 0.917% ''per annum'', with a birth rate of 16.32 alive births per 1,000 inhabitants, and a mortality rate of 7.54 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. The net migration rate is fairly flat at 0.39 migrants per 1,000 inhabitants. The youth cohort is relatively high, at 24.6%, but unlike its fellow Latin American countries—with the exception of [[Uruguay]]—the cohort of people 65 and older is also relatively high, at 10.8%. The Argentine population has one of [[Latin America]]'s lowest [[population growth rate|growth rates]] (about one percent ''per annum''), and it also enjoys a comparatively small [[infant mortality rate]]. The median age is approximately 29 years and a [[life expectancy]] of 75 years at birth. Unlike most developed countries it does not yet have [[sub-replacement fertility]] and the worries and problems associated with it. ==Demographic distribution== {{main|List of cities in Argentina by population}} [[Image:Población Argentina por Provincias (2001).png|400px|thumb|right|Population distribution in Argentina]] Eighty percent of the Argentine population resides in cities or towns of more than two thousand inhabitants, and over one-third lives in the [[Gran Buenos Aires|Greater Buenos Aires]] area. With 11.5 million inhabitants, this sprawling metropolis serves as the focus for national life. This population is unequally distributed across the country, centering in the zone of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area or "Greater Buenos Aires" ([[Autonomous City of Buenos Aires]] and [[Gran Buenos Aires|Conurbano Buenos Aires]]) approximately 12 million people, equivalent to 33% of the total population. This turns Buenos Aires into the fourth [[megalópolis]] of the 23 existing ones into the world, and the third urban agglomerate of Latin America, considerably behind [[Mexico City]] and [[Sao Paulo]]. An additional 1.1 million people live in the metropolitan area of [[Rosario, Santa Fe|Rosario]], and 1.3 million in the city of [[Córdoba, Argentina|Córdoba]]. Most of the Argentine population lives in the corresponding provinces ([[Buenos Aires Province|Buenos Aires]], [[Santa Fe Province|Santa Fe]] and [[Córdoba Province|Córdoba]]). In 1989, the Argentine government voted but never got to construct a master-planned capital in [[Viedma, Argentina|Viedma]] near the coastal city of [[Bahía Blanca]], in order to generate development in the central provinces. The [[Province of Buenos Aires]] is the most populated province of the country with 13,827,203 inhabitants (37% of the national population), of which 9.7 million live in [[Great Buenos Aires]] and 4.5 millions in the rest of the province. With a similar quantity of population, the neighboring provinces follow Buenos Aires Province in magnitude (in the northern part) of [[Cordoba Province|Córdoba]] and [[Santa Fe Province|Santa Fe]] with populations of around 3 million and the City of Buenos Aires with 2.7 million. In total, 60% of the population is concentrated in a region integrated by three provinces (Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe) and the City of Buenos Aires with a surface area less than 22% of the country. [[Image:Argentina population pyramid 2005.png|thumb|left|240px|Population pyramid of Argentina, 2005.]] Far from the pointed figures, the provinces that approximately reunite a million inhabitants are [[Chaco Province|Chaco]], [[Corrientes Province|Corrientes]], [[Entre Rios Province|Entre Rios]], [[Misiones Province|Misiones]], [[Salta Province|Salta]], [[Tucumán Province|Tucumán]] and [[Mendoza Province|Mendoza]], overcoming the latter the million and inhabitants' way. Tucumán province emphasizes in this group, with a density of population of 60 hab/km², top that of provinces more populated as Cordoba and Santa Fe and even to the average of the province of Buenos Aires. Regarding the territorial distribution of the population, the most significant information of the 2001 Census is the decreasing growth of the population of Buenos Aires, which has decreased from second place to fourth place, being overcome by Cordoba and Santa Fe. Also it is prominent that [[Patagonia]] is the region with major demographic growth indicating a slow displacement of the population of the country towards the south. {{Argentine cities}} ==Economic status== [[Image:Buenos Aires-Retiro(CatalinasNorte)-P3090002.JPG|240px|thumb|right|[[CBD|Financial District]] in Buenos Aires]] [[Image:Buenos_Aires_-Argentina-_136.jpg|thumb|240px|Buenos Aires' most populous areas, [[Recoleta]] and [[Palermo, Buenos Aires|Palermo]], enjoy a high standard of living.]]{{main|Economy of Argentina}} Argentines enjoy comparatively high [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|standards of living]] compared to other [[Latin America]]n countries; most of the population considers itself [[middle class]]<ref>[http://www.redtelework.com/PopUP_ImprimeNota.asp?IDNOTA=13387&Tipo=Actualidad Infobae:Clase Media Argentina Sumo en un Año 160.000 Familias]</ref> and the country has a high [[Human Development Index]] score of 0.869. As of 2007, 23% of the population is under the official [[poverty line]]<ref name="CIA"/>, and income distribution has become considerably [[economic inequality|unequal]] as a result of the 2001 economic crisis. [[Image:Salta-Capital-P3130030.JPG|thumb|left|The city of [[Salta]], like most in Argentina, has also prospered.]] The [[Education in Argentina|educational]] level is good, at least in urban areas with ready access to [[public school]]s and [[university|universities]]. The Argentine [[literacy]] rate is very high (99%).<ref>http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=MDG&f=seriesRowID:657</ref> In the countryside huge [[ranch]]es, called ''estancias'', cover much of the [[Pampa]] and [[Patagonia]], many of which are the legacy of [[Agricultural colonies in Argentina|agricultural colonies]] established by European immigration during the XIX century. Some rural people work on estancias, while others own small farms. The [[soybean]] boom, the exportation of certain [[cereal]]s, meats, [[wine]]s and other fruits, have turned the Argentine countryside into a very profitable business, causing some city people to leave urban areas in search of a more tranquil quality of life.<ref>[http://www.clarin.com/diario/2004/06/27/sociedad/s-03615.htm Más porteños dejan todo para irse al campo a vivir de la tierra] Clarin, 27-07-2005</ref> ==Linguistic survey== <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Cartelvosbsas.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A film poster in Buenos Aires. The title exemplifies the phenomenon of ''[[voseo]]''.]] --> {{main|Languages of Argentina}} The [[official language]] of Argentina is [[Spanish language|Spanish]], and it is spoken by practically the entire population in several different dialects, each having various degrees of Spanish and Italian influences. The most common dialect of Spanish in Argentina is [[Rioplatense Spanish]], and it is so named because it evolved in the central areas around the [[Río de la Plata]] basin. Rioplatense Spanish is the standard form of Spanish as used by the Argentine media. Its distinctive feature is widespread [[voseo]], the use of the [[pronoun]] ''vos'' instead of ''tú'' for the [[You|second person singular]]. It shows Italian influence in vocabulary, lingo and intonation. In addition to Rioplatense Spanish, people of the province of [[Córdoba Province (Argentina)|Córdoba]] have a distinctive intonation pattern. Along the [[Brazil]]ian border it is quite common to hear a mixture of [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and Spanish called [[Portuñol]]. Some few in the littoral provinces of the north-east speak [[Guaraní language|Guaraní]], an [[Amerindian languages|Amerindian language]], usually mixing it with Spanish. Guaraní as a second language is understood at varying degrees by 3.7% of Argentinians, <ref name="p12-cc">Página/12, 27 December 2006. [http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-78287-2006-12-27.html Los idiomas de los argentinos].</ref> and holds official status alongside Spanish in the province of [[Corrientes Province|Corrientes]]. [[Quechua]], another Amerindian language, is also spoken by some people but is confined primarily to [[Santiago del Estero Province|Santiago del Estero]]. ==Foreign languages== Many Argentines also speak other [[languages of Europe|European]] languages ([[Italian language|Italian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[French Language|French]], [[German Language|German]] and [[Serbo-Croatian]], as examples) due to the vast number of immigrants from Europe that came to Argentina.<ref name="CIA"/> Due to the linguistic influences of [[Rioplatense Spanish]] from Italian, the average Argentine is well-positioned to understand that language to a substantial degree. ===Italian=== Argentina has more than 1,500,000 [[Italian language|Italian]] speakers; this tongue is the second most spoken language in the nation. [[Italy|Italian]] [[immigration]] from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century made a lasting and significant impact on the pronunciation and vernacular of the nation's spoken Spanish, giving it an Italian flare. In fact, Italian has contributed so much to Rioplatense that many foreigners mistake it for Italian<ref>[http://www.ired.com/news/stevie/ International Real State Digest]</ref> ===English=== [[English language]] is a required subject in many schools, and there are also many private English-teaching academies and institutions. Young people have become accustomed to English through movies and the [[Internet]], and knowledge of the language is also required in certain jobs, so most middle-class children and teenagers now speak, read and/or understand it with various degrees of proficiency. According to an official cultural consumption survey conducted in 2006, 42.3% of Argentinians claim to know some English (though only 15.4% of those claimed to have a high level of English comprehension).<ref name="p12-cc"/> ===German=== [[Standard German]] is spoken by between 400,000<ref name="LAR">Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=AR Online version: Languages of Argentina,] Retrieved on [[2007-01-02]].</ref> and 500,000<ref>WorldLanguage [http://www.worldlanguage.com/Italian/Countries/Argentina.htm website]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-29]]</ref> Argentines of [[Germany|German]] ancestry, though it has also been stated that the there could be as much as 2,800,000.<ref>[http://www.swissinfo.org/spa/swissinfo.html?siteSect=43&sid=7080052 "Rápida recuperación económica tras la grave crisis"]</ref> German today, is the third or fourth most spoken language in Argentina. ===Levantine Arabic=== There are sources of around one million [[Levantine Arabic|Levantine]] [[Arabic language|Arabic]] speakers in Argentina,<ref name="LAR"/> as a result of immigration from the [[Middle East]], mostly from [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. ===Welsh=== There is a small but prosperous [[Welsh settlement in Argentina|community of Argentine Welsh-speakers]] in the province of [[Chubut Province|Chubut]], in the [[Patagonia]] region, who descend from [[Welsh settlement in Argentina|19th century immigrants]]. ==Genetic Studies== ===Average composition of the Argentine genome (Avena et al, 2006)=== A group of researchers belonging to diverse scientific [[Argentine]] and [[France|French]] institutions (CONICET, UBA, Centres D'Anthropologie de Toulouse)<ref>[http://www.scielo.org.ar/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0025-76802006000200004&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es Avena, Sergio A., Goicochea, Alicia S., Rey, Jorge ''et al''. (2006). ''Mezcla génica en una muestra poblacional de la ciudad de Buenos Aires''. Medicina (B. Aires), mar./abr. 2006, vol.66, no.2, p.113-118. ISSN 0025-7680.]</ref>,on the base of information gathered in the Hospital of Clinics and Italian of the City of Buenos Aires, concluded that: * The genetic average admixture of the Argentine population, contains 79.9 % of [[European ethnic groups|European]] contribution, 15.8% [[Amerindian]] and 4.3% [[African]]. ===Amerindian Ancestors (Corach-UBA, 2005)=== The "''Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas''" of [[University of Buenos Aires]] concluded in 2005 a research directed by the Argentine geneticist [[scientist|Daniel Corach]] (realized on 320 individuals of 9 provinces) from genetic scoreboards established that 56% of the Argentine population has at least one [[Amerindian]] ancestor. The study indicates that the genetic Amerindian characteristic, not necessarily demonstrates physical visible feature. From this percentage, only 10% of the population has exclusively Amerindian ancestors. The remaining 44% of the total population, does not have Amerindian ancestry.<ref>[http://coleccion.educ.ar/coleccion/CD9/contenidos/sobre/pon3/index.html]''Estructura genética de la Argentina, Impacto de contribuciones genéticas - Ministerio de Educación de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Nación.</ref> ===Average composition of the Argentine genome (Seldin et al, U. California 2006)=== A group of researchers belonging to diverse scientific Argentine, North American, Swedish, and Guatemalan institutions, directed by [[scientist|Michael F. Seldin]] of [[University of California]]<ref>[http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114025749/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0Avena,Michael F. Seldin ''et al.'' (2006). "Argentine population genetic structure: Large variance in Amerindian contribution", American Journal of Physical Anthropology Volume 132, Issue 3, Pages 455 - 462 Published Online: 18 Dec 2006]</ref>, concluded that: * The genetic average structure of the Argentine population contains 78% of European contribution, 19.4% Amerindian and 2.5% [[African]] (using the Bayesian algorithm). ===African Ancestors (CGFyL-UBA, 2005)=== A research of ''Centro de Genética de Filosofía y Letras'' of the [[University of Buenos Aires]] established in 2005, after analyzed 500 blood samples in the Italian Hospital, Hospital of Clinics, and the Regional Medical Center of the city of La Plata, that 4.3% of the analyzed samples corresponding to inhabitants of greater Buenos Aires contains genetic African scoreboards (though it is not observed at the phenotypical level).<ref>[http://www.clarin.com/diario/2006/06/09/sociedad/s-03801.htm Clarín (09-06-2006)]</ref> ==Demographic data== '''Population:''' 40,301,927 (June 2007 est.) '''Age structure:''' *0-14 years: 24.9% (male 5,134,958/female 4,905,181) *15-64 years: 15-64 years: 64.4% (male 12,979,588/female 12,967,507) *65 years and over: 65 years and over: 10.7% (male 1,769,593/female 2,545,100) (2007 est.) '''Median age:''' *Total: 29.7 years *Male: 28.8 years *Female: 30.7 years (2006 est.) '''Annual [[population growth rate]]''': 0.96% (2006 est.) '''[[Birth rate]]''': 16.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) '''[[Death rate]]''': 7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) '''[[Net migration rate]]''': 0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) '''[[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]]:''' *At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female *Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female *15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female *65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female *Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) '''[[Infant mortality rate]]:''' *Total: 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006)<ref>[http://www.deis.gov.ar/]</ref> '''[[Life expectancy]] at birth:''' *Total population: 76.32 years *Male: 72.60 years *Female: 80.24 years (2006 est.) '''Total [[fertility rate]]:''' 2.16 children born/woman (2006 est.) '''[[HIV]]/[[AIDS]]:''' *Adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2001 est.) *People living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (2001 est.) *Deaths: 1,500 (2003 est.) '''[[Ethnic group]]s:''' *European descent (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%<ref name="CIA"/> *[[Mestizo]] (European/Amerindian ancestry), [[Amerindian]], or other non-white groups represent the remainder '''Religions:'''<ref name="CIA"/> {{main|Religion in Argentina}} *Nominally [[Roman Catholic]] 92% *[[Protestant]] 2% *[[Jewish]] 2% *Other, including non-confessional and atheists 4% '''Languages:''' *[[Spanish language|Spanish]] (official; most spoken dialect: [[Rioplatense Spanish]]) *[[English language|English]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]]<ref name="CIA"/>, [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Welsh language|Welsh]] *[[Guaraní language|Guaraní]] (official in Corrientes; spoken also in north-eastern litoral areas, near [[Paraguay]]an border. *[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] (near [[Brazil]]ian border) *[[Quechua]] (in decline, found in the northwest provinces, primarily in Santiago del Estero) '''[[Literacy]]''' (defined as individuals of age 15 and over who can read and write): *Total population: 97.2% *male: 97.2% *female: 97.2% (2001 est.) ==See also== *[[Argentina]] *[[Immigration in Argentina]] *[[Ethnography of Argentina]] *[[White Argentine]] *[[Italian settlement in Argentina]] *[[Spanish settlement in Argentina]] *[[Basque settlement in Argentina]] *[[German settlement in Argentina]] *[[Welsh settlement in Argentina]] *[[English settlement in Argentina]] *[[Irish settlement in Argentina]] *[[Swedish settlement in Argentina]] *[[Montenegrins in Argentina]] *[[Ukrainians of Argentina]] *[[White Latin American]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Sources== <div class="references-small"> *{{CIA WFB 2006}} *{{StateDept}} *''[http://www.indec.mecon.gov.ar/ National Statistics and Censuses Institute]'' </div> {{South_America_in_topic|Demographics of}} [[Category:Demographics of Argentina]] [[Category:Demographics]] [[de:Bevölkerung Argentiniens]] [[es:Demografía de Argentina]] [[eu:Argentinako demografia]] [[fr:Démographie de l'Argentine]] [[lt:Argentinos demografija]] [[pt:Demografia da Argentina]] [[ru:Население Аргентины]]