Demographics of Argentina

This article is about the demographic features of Argentina, including population density, ethnicity, economic status and other aspects of the population.

Demographics of Argentina
Population of Argentina, 1961–2010
Population44,361,150[1][2]
Growth rate1.036% (2010 est.)[3]
Birth rate17.75 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Death rate7.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
Life expectancy77.14 years
  male73.9 years
  female80.54 years (2012 est.)
Fertility rate2.29 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Infant mortality rate10.52 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years25.2% (male 5,450,679/ female 5,200,704)
15–64 years63.6% (male 13,400,997/ female 13,440,948)
65 and over11.1% (male 1,940,810/ female 2,758,356) (2012 est.)
Sex ratio
Total0.97 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
Under 151.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years1 male(s)/female
65 and over0.7 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityArgentine
Language
OfficialSpanish language
SpokenEnglish, Italian, German, Welsh, Yiddish, Portuguese, Guarani, Quechua, Mapudungun and many others are also spoken varying by region

In the 2001 census [INDEC], Argentina had a population of 36,260,130 inhabitants, and preliminary results from the 2010 census [INDEC] census were of 40,117,096 inhabitants.[4][5] Argentina ranks third in South America in total population and 33rd globally. The population density is 15 persons per square kilometer, well below the world average of 50 persons. The population growth rate in 2008 was estimated to be 0.92% annually, with a birth rate of 16.32 live births per 1,000 inhabitants and a mortality rate of 7.54 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants.

The proportion of people under 15, at 24.6%, is somewhat below the world average (28%), and the cohort of people 65 and older is relatively high, at 10.8%. The percentage of senior citizens in Argentina has long been second only to Uruguay in Latin America and well above the world average, which is currently 7%.

The median age is approximately 30 years and life expectancy at birth is of 76 years. According to an official cultural consumption survey conducted in 2006, 42.3% of Argentines speak English (though only 15.4% of those claimed to have a high level of English comprehension), 8.3% speak Portuguese[6] and 6.9% speak Italian.[7]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1650 298,000    
1778 420,900+41.2%
1800 551,500+31.0%
1809 609,200+10.5%
1825 766,400+25.8%
1839 926,300+20.9%
1857 1,299,600+40.3%
1869 1,830,214+40.8%
1895 4,044,911+121.0%
1914 7,903,662+95.4%
1947 15,893,811+101.1%
1960 20,013,793+25.9%
1970 23,364,431+16.7%
1980 27,949,480+19.6%
1991 32,615,528+16.7%
2001 36,260,130+11.2%
2010 40,117,096+10.6%
2020 45,376,763+13.1%
Source:[8][9]

Cities

Argentina is highly urbanized,[3] with the ten largest metropolitan areas accounting for half of the population, and fewer than one in ten living in rural areas. About 3 million people live in Buenos Aires proper, and the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area totals around 13 million, making it one of the largest urban areas in the world.[10] The metropolitan areas of Córdoba and Rosario have around 1.3 million inhabitants each,[10] and six other cities (Mendoza, Tucumán, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Salta and Santa Fe)[10][11] have at least half a million people each.

The population is unequally distributed amongst the provinces, with about 60% living in the Pampa region (21% of the total area), including 15 million people in Buenos Aires Province, and 3 million each in Córdoba Province, Santa Fe Province and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Seven other provinces each have about one million people: Mendoza, Tucumán, Entre Ríos, Salta, Chaco, Corrientes and Misiones. Tucumán is the most densely populated (with 60 inhabitants/km2, the only Argentine province more densely populated than the world average), while the southern province of Santa Cruz has less than 1 inhabitant/km2.

In the mid-19th century, a large wave of immigration started to arrive to Argentina due to new Constitutional policies that encouraged immigration, and issues in the countries the immigrants came from such as wars, poverty, hunger, famines, pursuit of a better life, among other reasons. The main immigration sources were from Europe, the countries from the Near and Middle East, Russia and Japan. In fact, the immigration torrent was so strong that Argentina eventually received the second-largest number of immigrants in the world, second only to the US and ahead of such immigration receptor countries such as Canada, Brazil, Australia, etc.[12][13]

Most of these European immigrants settled in the cities which offered jobs, education and other opportunities enabling them to enter the middle class. Many also settled in the growing small towns along the expanding railway system and since the 1930s many rural workers have moved to the big cities.[14] Urban areas reflect the influence of European immigration, and most of the larger ones feature boulevards and diagonal avenues inspired by the redevelopment of Paris. Argentine cities were originally built in a colonial Spanish grid style, centered on a plaza overlooked by a cathedral and important government buildings. Many still retain this general layout, known as a damero, meaning checkerboard, since it is based on a pattern of square blocks. The city of La Plata, designed at the end of the 19th century by Pedro Benoit, combines the checkerboard layout with added diagonal avenues at fixed intervals, and was the first in South America with electric street illumination.[15]

Largest cities

Provinces and districts

Flag Province/District Capital Official Language Population (2010)[17]RankArea (km2)RankDensity (/km2)[17]Rank
Buenos Aires City 2,891,08242032414,241.81
Buenos Aires Province La Plata 15,594,4281307,571150.73
Catamarca Province San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca 367,82020102,602113.620
Chaco Province Resistencia 1,053,4661099,6331210.611
Chubut Province Rawson Spanish, Welsh 506,66818224,68632.322
Córdoba Province Córdoba 3,304,8252165,321520.06
Corrientes Province Corrientes Spanish, Guaraní 993,3381188,1991611.310
Entre Ríos Province Paraná 1,236,300778,7811715.77
Formosa Province Formosa 527,8951772,066197.314
Jujuy Province San Salvador de Jujuy 672,2601453,2192012.68
La Pampa Province Santa Rosa 316,94022143,44082.223
La Rioja Province La Rioja 331,8472189,680143.719
Mendoza Province Mendoza 1,741,6105148,827711.79
Misiones Province Posadas 1,097,829929,8012136.84
Neuquén Province Neuquén 550,3341694,078135.817
Río Negro Province Viedma 633,37415203,01343.121
Salta Province Salta 1,215,2078155,48867.812
San Juan Province San Juan 680,4271389,651157.613
San Luis Province San Luis 431,5881976,748185.618
Santa Cruz Province Río Gallegos 272,52423243,94321.124
Santa Fe Province Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz 3,200,7363133,0071024.15
Santiago del Estero Province   Santiago del Estero 896,46112136,35196.615
Tierra del Fuego Province Ushuaia 126,1902421,263a235.8a16
Tucumán Province San Miguel de Tucumán   1,448,200622,5242264.32

a Not including claims to the Falkland Islands and the Argentine Antarctica.

Historical total fertility rates and crude birth rates

Sources: Pantelides and National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina[9]

Years186918951914194719601970198019912000-2015
Total Fertility Rates (children/woman)6.87.05.33.23.13.13.32.92.4
Crude Birth Rates49.144.536.526.323.623.224.819.5

Vital statistics

The table below gives an overview of the number of birth and deaths in Argentina during the past century. Several sources were combined to construct the table.[18][19][20] The number of births in 2010 (756,176) was the highest number ever recorded. The number of deaths in 2010 also was the highest ever record. However, as the population of Argentina showed a sixfold increase during the past century, the birth and death rates in 2010 (18.7 and 7.9, respectively) were rather low in a historical perspective.

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate
(per 1000)
Crude death rate
(per 1000)
Natural change
(per 1000)
Total fertility rates[21]
1910 6,800,000 260,000129,000131,000 38.318.919.4
1911 7,070,000 268,000129,000139,000 37.918.219.7
1912 7,470,000 288,000127,000161,000 38.617.021.6
1913 7,840,000 298,000127,000171,000 38.016.221.8
1914 8,000,000 294,000123,000171,000 36.715.421.3
1915 8,150,000 288,000129,000159,000 35.315.819.5
1916 8,300,000 293,000142,000151,000 35.317.118.2
1917 8,450,000 284,000136,000148,000 33.616.117.5
1918 8,600,000 283,000157,000126,000 32.918.214.7
1919 8,750,000 286,000161,000125,000 32.718.414.3
1920 8,970,000 290,000139,000151,000 32.315.516.8
1921 9,220,000 302,000146,000156,000 32.815.817.0
1922 9,520,000 315,000133,000182,000 33.114.019.1
1923 9,890,000 336,000146,000190,000 34.014.819.2
1924 10,220,000 335,000146,000189,000 32.814.318.5
1925 10,500,000 334,000148,000186,000 31.814.117.7
1926 10,800,000 337,000147,000190,000 31.213.617.6
1927 11,130,000 342,000157,000185,000 30.714.116.6
1928 11,440,000 352,000151,000201,000 30.813.217.6
1929 11,750,000 355,000162,000193,000 30.213.816.4
1930 12,050,000 355,000153,000202,000 29.512.716.8
1931 12,290,000 350,000156,000194,000 28.512.715.8
1932 12,520,000 352,000139,000213,000 28.111.117.0
1933 12,730,000 332,000150,000182,000 26.111.814.3
1934 12,940,000 319,661143,065176,596 24.711.113.6
1935 13,150,000 322,002162,768159,234 24.512.412.1
1936 13,370,000 318,651150,092168,559 23.811.212.6
1937 13,610,000 319,024154,275164,749 23.411.312.1
1938 14,202,000 325,412161,555163,857 22.911.411.5
1939 14,397,000 329,393149,153180,240 22.910.412.5
1940 14,591,000 339,029151,856187,173 23.210.412.8
1941 14,796,000 340,339148,947191,392 23.010.112.9
1942 15,004,000 338,199150,030188,169 22.510.012.5
1943 15,216,000 358,977150,166208,811 23.69.913.7
1944 15,441,000 380,950154,093226,857 24.710.014.7
1945 15,674,000 388,191157,785230,406 24.810.114.7
1946 15,912,000 387,496149,895237,601 24.49.414.9
1947 16,109,000 398,468158,059240,409 24.79.715.0
1948 16,284,000 413,132152,648260,484 25.49.416.0
1949 16,671,000 419,656150,604269,052 25.29.016.1
1950 17,150,000 438,766154,540284,226 25.69.016.63.2
1951 17,506,000 444,326156,406287,920 25.49.016.5
1952 17,865,000 446,156153,887292,269 25.08.616.4
1953 18,224,000 459,734162,217297,517 25.38.916.4
1954 18,580,000 457,559156,347301,212 24.68.416.2
1955 18,931,000 461,293167,357293,936 24.48.815.5
1956 19,277,000 474,142161,321312,821 24.68.416.2
1957 19,618,000 478,368179,578298,790 24.49.215.2
1958 19,955,000 472,865166,235306,630 23.78.315.4
1959 20,291,000 476,211173,409302,802 23.58.514.9
1960 20,625,000 473,038179,266293,772 22.98.714.23,1
1961 20,961,000 476,259176,477299,782 22.78.414.3
1962 21,297,000 490,414184,013306,401 23.08.614.4
1963 21,633,000 491,109187,492303,617 22.78.714.0
1964 21,966,000 496,256193,141303,115 22.68.813.8
1965 22,297,000 481,814196,467285,347 21.68.812.8
1966 22,622,000 479,396194,450284,946 21.28.612.6
1967 22,945,000 480,317195,265285,052 20.98.512.4
1968 23,273,000 493,354213,313280,041 21.29.212.0
1969 23,617,000 580,699222,937357,762 24.69.415.2
1970 23,983,000 544,521222,113322,408 22.79.313.53.2
1971 24,376,000 564,787225,000339,787 23.29.214.0
1972 24,792,000 559,398228,000331,398 22.69.213.4
1973 25,222,000 561,500231,000330,500 22.39.213.1
1974 25,654,000 590,000234,000356,000 23.09.113.9
1975 26,079,000 620,000237,000383,000 23.89.114.73.4
1976 26,493,000 656,768240,764416,004 24.89.115.7
1977 26,899,000 661,222234,430426,792 24.68.715.9
1978 27,303,000 665,000233,482431,518 24.48.615.8
1979 27,712,000 647,864234,926412,938 23.48.514.9
1980 28,131,000 697,775241,125456,650 24.88.616.33.2
1981 28,562,000 680,292241,904438,388 23.88.515.4
1982 29,001,000 663,429234,926428,503 22.98.114.8
1983 29,448,000 655,876233,071422,805 22.37.914.4
1984 29,900,000 635,323255,591379,732 21.38.612.7
1985 30,354,000 650,783241,377409,406 21.58.013.53.0
1986 30,811,000 675,388241,004434,384 22.07.814.1
1987 31,270,000 668,136249,882418,254 21.48.013.4
1988 31,729,000 680,605254,953425,652 21.58.113.5
1989 32,187,000 667,058252,302414,756 20.87.912.9
1990 32,642,000 678,644259,683418,961 20.98.012.92.8
1991 33,094,000 694,776255,609439,167 21.07.713.3
1992 33,540,000 678,761262,287416,474 20.27.812.4
1993 33,982,000 667,518267,286400,232 19.67.911.8
1994 34,420,000 673,787257,431416,356 19.67.512.1
1995 34,855,000 658,735268,997389,738 18.97.711.2
1996 35,287,000 675,437268,715406,722 19.17.611.5
1997 35,715,000 692,357270,910421,447 19.47.611.8
1998 36,135,000 683,301280,180403,121 18.97.811.2
1999 36,541,000 686,748289,543397,205 18.87.910.9
2000 36,931,000 701,878277,148424,730 19.07.511.5
2001 37,302,000 683,495285,941397,554 18.37.710.72.64
2002 37,657,000 694,684291,190403,494 18.47.710.7
2003 38,001,000 697,952302,064395,888 18.47.910.4
2004 38,341,000 736,261294,051442,210 19.27.711.5
2005 38,681,000 721,220293,529427,691 18.67.611.1
2006 39,024,000 696,451292,313404,138 17.87.510.4
2007 39,368,000 700,792315,852384,940 17.88.09.8
2008 39,714,000 746,460301,801444,659 18.87.611.2
2009 40,062,000 745,336304,525440,811 18.67.611.02.38
2010 40,412,000 756,176318,602437,574 18.77.910.82.39
2011 40,900,000 758,042319,059438,983 18.57.810.72.38
2012[22] 41,282,000 738,318319,539418,779 17.97.710.22.27
2013 41,690,000 754,603326,197428,406 18.17.810.32.35
2014 42,669,000 777,012325,539451,437 18.27.610.62.43
2015 43,131,000 770,040333,407436,633 17.97.710.22.41
2016 43,590,000 728,035352,992375,043 16.78.28.52.19
2017 44,044,811 704,609341,668362,941 15.97.88.12.08
2018 44,494,502 685,394336,823348,571 15.47.67.81.99

Structure of the population

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[1][2] the total population was 44,361,150 in 2018, compared to only 17,150,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 24.9%, 64.5% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 10.6% was 65 years or older .[23]

Total population Proportion
aged 0–14
(%)
Proportion
aged 15–64
(%)
Proportion
aged 65+
(%)
1950 17 150 00030.565.34.2
1955 18 929 00030.764.44.8
1960 20 619 00030.763.75.5
1965 22 283 00030.263.76.2
1970 23 973 00029.363.86.9
1975 26 067 00029.263.37.5
1980 28 106 00030.361.58.2
1985 30 389 00030.860.68.6
1990 32 730 00030.660.49.0
1995 34 995 00029.161.49.5
2000 37 057 00027.962.29.9
2005 39 145 00026.963.010.1
2010 41 223 00025.863.810.4
2015 43 417 00025.164.010.9

Structure of the population (01.07.2010 ) (Estimates- Data refer to projections based on 2001 Population Census):[24]

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 19,846,671 20,672,280 40,518,951 100
0–4 1,740,485 1,679,188 3,419,673 8.44
5–9 1,689,364 1,632,628 3,321,992 8.20
10–14 1,735,344 1,679,302 3,414,646 8.43
15–19 1,751,386 1,698,173 3,449,559 8.51
20–24 1,697,550 1,652,173 3,349,723 8.27
25–29 1,618,705 1,591,188 3,209,903 7.92
30–34 1,628,149 1,620,658 3,248,807 8.02
35–39 1,353,587 1,358,431 2,712,018 6.69
40–44 1,179,076 1,194,181 2,373,257 5.86
45–49 1,093,940 1,131,951 2,225,891 5.49
50–54 991,757 1,076,899 2,068,656 5.11
55–59 906,470 996,927 1,903,397 4.70
60–64 760,092 867,044 1,627,136 4.02
65–69 602,756 726,318 1,329,074 3.28
70–74 456,960 614,371 1,071,331 2.64
75–79 331,313 513,715 845,028 2.09
80+ 309,737 639,123 948,860 2.34
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 5,165,193 4,991,118 10,156,311 25.07
15–64 12,980,712 13,187,635 26,168,347 64.58
65+ 1,700,766 2,493,527 4,194,293 10.35

Structure of the population (01.07.2013) (Estimates) :

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 20,409,830 21,250,587 41,660,417 100
0–4 1,749,655 1,687,476 3,437,131 8.25
5–9 1,715,945 1,657,086 3,373,031 8.10
10–14 1,700,757 1,645,030 3,345,787 8.03
15–19 1,744,462 1,690,668 3,435,130 8.25
20–24 1,730,871 1,683,204 3,414,075 8.20
25–29 1,656,747 1,621,991 3,278,738 7.87
30–34 1,622,019 1,607,268 3,229,287 7.75
35–39 1,524,110 1,527,463 3,051,573 7.32
40–44 1,261,322 1,275,243 2,536,565 6.09
45–49 1,124,926 1,154,104 2,279,030 5.47
50–54 1,032,385 1,099,746 2,132,131 5.12
55–59 929,866 1,033,655 1,963,521 4.71
60–64 811,871 927,818 1,739,689 4.18
65–69 646,847 782,142 1,428,989 3.43
70–74 484,152 642,176 1,126,328 2.70
75–79 340,769 524,101 864,870 2.08
80+ 333,126 691,416 1,024,542 2.46
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 5,166,357 4,989,592 10,155,949 24.38
15–64 13,438,579 13,621,160 27,059,739 64.95
65+ 1,804,894 2,639,835 4,444,729 10.67

UN estimates

The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates of vital statistics of Argentina. [23]

Period Live births
per year
Deaths
per year
Natural change
per year
CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR* Life expectancy
total
Life expectancy
males
Life expectancy
females
1950–1955457,600163,800293,80025.49.116.33.156662.560.465.1
1955–1960479,800169,800310,00024.38.615.73.136064.562.167.4
1960–1965497,200188,800308,40023.28.814.43.096065.262.468.6
1965–1970521,400209,400312,00022.59.113.43.055765.762.769.3
1970–1975585,200224,400360,80023.49.014.43.154867.264.170.7
1975–1980694,800241,000453,80025.78.916.83.443968.665.472.2
1980–1985676,400247,800428,60023.18.514.73.153270.166.873.7
1985–1990701,000264,800436,20022.28.413.83.052771.067.574.6
1990–1995721,800274,800447,00021.38.113.22.902472.168.675.8
1995–2000711,200282,600428,60019.77.811.82.632273.269.676.9
2000–2005731,800296,200435,60019.27.811.42.521574.370.678.1
2005–2010741,400309,000432,40018.57.710.82.401375.371.679.1
2010–2015754,200321,400432,80017.87.610.22.351176.272.579.8
2015–2020749,600334,200415,40016.97.59.42.271077.173.680.6
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Other demographics statistics

Argentina's population continues to grow but at a slower rate because of its steadily declining birth rate. Argentina's fertility decline began earlier than in the rest of Latin America, occurring most rapidly between the early 20th century and the 1950s and then becoming more gradual.[25]

Life expectancy has been improving, most notably among the young and the poor.[25]

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review.[26]

  • One birth every 42 seconds
  • One death every 2 minutes
  • One net migrant every 111 minutes
  • Net gain of one person every 1 minutes

Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[25]

Population
44,293,293 (July 2017 est.)
Ethnic groups

European (mostly Spanish and Italian descent) and mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian ancestry) 97.2%, Amerindian 2.4%, African 0.4% (2010 est.)

Age structure
Population pyramid of Argentina in 2017
0-14 years: 24.44% (male 5,629,345 /female 5,293,680)
15-24 years: 15.2% (male 3,476,344 /female 3,317,151)
25-54 years: 39.46% (male 8,808,591 /female 8,826,379)
55-64 years: 9.12%' (male 1,977,421 /female 2,096,665)
65 years and over: 11.79% (male 2,216,487 /female 3,052,135) (2018 est.)
0-14 years: 24.59% (male 5,612,766/female 5,278,857)
15-24 years: 15.28% (male 3,460,276/female 3,307,227)
25-54 years: 39.38% (male 8,707,818/female 8,733,370)
55-64 years: 9.13% (male 1,963,923/female 2,081,796)
65 years and over: 11.62% (male 2,159,811/female 2,987,449) (2017 est.)
Median age
total: 31.9 years. Country comparison to the world: 107th
male: 30.7 years
female: 33.1 years (2018 est.)
total: 31.7 years
male: 30.5 years
female: 32.9 years (2017 est.)
Birth rate
16.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 109th
16.7 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Death rate
7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 108th
Total fertility rate
2.25 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 92nd
2.26 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 101st
Population growth rate
0.89% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 121st
0.91% (2017 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 77.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 74th
male: 74.2 years
female: 80.6 years (2017 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 9.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
male: 10.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
female: 8.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
Languages

Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous (Mapudungun, Quechua)

Religions

Roman Catholicism 66%, Protestantism 10%, No Religion 21%, Other 3%

Population distribution
One-third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 56.5
youth dependency ratio: 39.4
elderly dependency ratio: 17.1
potential support ratio: 5.8 (2015 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 91.9% of total population (2018)
rate of urbanization: 1.07% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2016 est.)

total population: 99.1%
male: 99.1%
female: 99.1% (2016 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 18 years
male: 16 years
female: 19 years (2016)
Unemployment, youth ages 15–24
total: 18.3%. Country comparison to the world: 71st
male: 15.6%
female: 22.8% (2014 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groupings in Argentina (2010 est.) [27]

  European and Mestizo (97.2%)
  Amerindian (2.4%)
  African (0.4%)

Genetic ancestry of the Argentine gene pool[28]

  Amerindian (27%)
  unassigned (3%)


Indigenous peoples

Distribution of the Indigenous Peoples in Argentina

According to the data of INDEC's Complementary Survey of Indigenous Peoples (ECPI) 2004–2005, 600,000 officially recognized indigenous persons (about 1.4% of the total population) reside in Argentina. The most numerous of these communities are the Mapuches, who live mostly in the south, the Kollas and Wichís, from the northwest, and the Guaranis and Qom, who live mostly in the northeast.[29] In the census of 2010, 955,032 people self recognized as indigenous or descendants of indigenous peoples, thus representing 2.4% of the national population. This is without prejudice that more than half of the population has at least one indigenous ancestor, although in most cases family memory lost that origin.

Indigenous population of Argentina
Ethnic
group
Survey 2004–2005
Number %
Aonikenk10,5901.8
Atacama3,0440.5
Avá-Guaraní21,8073.6
Aymara4,1040.7
Chané4,3760.7
Charrúa4,5110.7
Chorote2,6130.4
Chulupí5530.1
Comechingón10,8631.8
Diaguita/diaguita calchaquí31,7535.3
Guaraní22,0593.7
Het7360.1
Huarpe14,6332.4
Kolla70,50511.7
Lule8540.1
Mapuche113,68018.8
Mbyá8,2231.4
Mocoví15,8372.6
Omaguaca1,5530.3
Pilagá4,4650.7
Puelche1,5850.3
Qom69,45211.5
Quechua6,7391.1
Rankulche10,1491.7
Sanavirón5630.1
Selknam6960.1
Tapiete5240.1
Tonocoté4,7790.8
Wichí40,0366.6
Others3,8640.6
Not specified102,24716.0

Immigration to Argentina

European settlement

As with other areas of new settlement such as Canada, Australia, the United States, Brazil, New Zealand, The United Arab Emirates and Singapore, Argentina is considered a country of immigrants.[30] When it is considered that Argentina was second only to the United States (27 million of immigrants) in the number of immigrants received, even ahead of such other areas of new settlement like Canada, Brazil and Australia;[12][13] and that the country was scarcely populated following its independence, the impact of the immigration to Argentina becomes evident.

In the last national census, based on self-identification, 952,032 Argentines (2.4% of the population) declared to be Amerindians[29] Most of the 6.2 million European immigrants arriving between 1850 and 1950, regardless of origin, settled in several regions of the country. Due to this large-scale European immigration, Argentina's population more than doubled.

Immigrant population in Argentina (1869–1991)

The majority of these European immigrants came from Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Wales, Scotland, Poland, Albania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Greece, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.

Italian population in Argentina arrived mainly from the northern Italian regions varying between Piedmont, Veneto and Lombardy, later from Campania and Calabria;[31] Many Argentines have the gentilic of an Italian city, place, street or occupation of the immigrant as last name, many of them were not necessarily born Italians, but once they did the roles of immigration in Italy the name usually changed. Spanish immigrants were mainly Galicians and Basques.[32][33] Thousands of immigrants also came from France (notably Béarn and the Northern Basque Country), Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Portugal, Finland, Russia and the United Kingdom.[34] The Welsh settlement in Patagonia, known as Y Wladfa, began in 1865; mainly along the coast of Chubut Province. In addition to the main colony in Chubut, a smaller colony was set up in Santa Fe and another group settled at Coronel Suárez, southern Buenos Aires Province.[35] Of the 50,000 Patagonians of Welsh descent, about 5,000 are Welsh speakers.[36] The community is centered on the cities of Gaiman, Trelew and Trevelin.[37]

Recent immigrants

Foreign born residents in Argentina by country of birth.[38]

According to the INDEC 1,531,940 of the Argentine resident population in 2001 were born outside Argentina, representing 4.22% of the total Argentine resident population.[39][40] In 2010, 1,805,957 of the Argentine resident population were born outside Argentina, representing 4.50% of the total Argentine resident population.[39][40][41][42]

Illegal immigration has been a recent factor in Argentine demographics. Most illegal immigrants come from Bolivia and Paraguay, countries which border Argentina to the north. Smaller numbers arrive from Peru and Ecuador. The Argentine government estimates that 750,000 inhabitants lack official documents and has launched a program called Patria Grande ("Greater Homeland")[43] to encourage illegal immigrants to regularize their status; so far over 670,000 applications have been processed under the program.[44]

Ethnic Map of Argentina and the Southern Cone • Light Blue: European Ancestors • Light Red: Mestizos • Dark Red: Amerindians • Green: African Ancestors • Yellow: Others
Rank (2010)Country of birthcensus 2010census 2001census 1990
1 Paraguay550,713325,046254,115
2 Bolivia345,272233,464145,670
3 Chile191,147212,429247,987
4 Colombia177,00050,25015,939
4 Peru157,51488,26015,939
5 Italy147,499216,718356,923
6 Uruguay116,592117,564135,406
7 Spain94,030134,417244,212
8 Brazil41,33034,71233,966
9 China8,9294,1842,297
10 Germany8,41610,36215,451
11 South Korea7,3218,2908,371
12 France6,9956,5786,309
13 Japan4,0364,7535,674
14 Taiwan2,8753,5111,870
15 Syria1,3372,350N/D
16 Lebanon9331,6193,171
Other countries121,018127,683150,849
TOTAL1,805,9571,531,9401,628,210

Languages

The official language of Argentina is Spanish, and it is spoken by practically the entire population in several different accents. The most common variation of Spanish in Argentina is the River Plate Spanish (Spanish: Castellano Rioplatense), and it is so named because it evolved in the central areas around the Río de la Plata basin. Its distinctive feature is widespread voseo, the use of the pronoun vos instead of for the second person singular.

Non-indigenous minority languages

Many Argentines also speak other European languages (Italian, German, Portuguese, French, Welsh, Swedish and Croatian, as examples) due to the vast number of immigrants from Europe that came to Argentina.[3]

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 most 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 Argentines claim to speak some English (though only 15.4% of those claimed to have a high level of English comprehension).[6]

There are sources of around one million Levantine Arabic speakers in Argentina,[45] as a result of immigration from the Middle East, mostly from Syria and Lebanon.

Standard German is spoken by around 500,000[45][46] Argentines of German ancestry, though the number may be as high as 3,800,000 according to some sources.[47] German is the third or fourth most spoken language in Argentina.

There is a prosperous community of Argentine Welsh-speakers of approximately 25,000[48] in the province of Chubut, in the Patagonia region, who descend from 19th century immigrants.

Religion

Religion in Argentina (2017)[49]

  Catholicism (66%)
  Evangelical Protestantism (10%)
  No religion (21%)
  Judaism (1%)
  Islam (1%)
  Others (1%)
The 17th century Cathedral of Córdoba

The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but until 1994 the President and Vice President had to be Catholic. The society, culture, and politics of Argentina are deeply imbued with Roman Catholicism.

Estimates for the number of Roman Catholics vary from 70% of the population,[50] to as much as 90%.[51] The CIA Factbook lists 92% of the country is Catholic, but only 20% are practicing regularly or weekly at a church service.[3] The Jewish population is about 300,000 (around 0.75% of the population), the community numbered about 400,000 after World War II, but the appeal of Israel and economic and cultural pressures at home led many to leave; recent instability in Israel has resulted in a modest reversal of the trend since 2003.[51][52] Muslim Argentines number about 500,000–600,000, or approximately 1.5% of the population; 93% of them are Sunni.[51] Buenos Aires is home to one of the largest mosques in Latin America. A study from 2010 found that approximately 11% of Argentines are non-religious, including those who believe in God, though not religion, agnostics (4%) and atheists (5%). Overall, 24% attended religious services regularly. Protestants were the only group in which a majority regularly attended services.[53]

See also

References

  1. ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  2. ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  3. "Argentina". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
  4. "Proyecciones provinciales de población por sexo y grupos de edad 2001–2015" (PDF). Gustavo Pérez (in Spanish). INDEC. p. 16. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  5. Censo 2010: Censo Nacional de Población, Hogares y Viviendas (in Spanish)
  6. Página/12, 27 December 2006. Los idiomas de los argentinos
  7. "Argentina". Ethnologue.com. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  8. "Portal población". INDEC. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  9. Ramiro A. Flores Cruz, El crecimiento de la población argentina (PDF), pp. 2, 10
  10. "Major Cities". Government of Argentina. Archived from the original on 19 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  11. "Ubicacion" (in Spanish). Directorate-General of Tourism, Municipality of the City of Salta. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  12. "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 10 June 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  13. Sánchez-Alonso, Blanca. "European Immigration into Latin America, 1870–1930" (PDF). Madrid: Universidad San Pablo-CEU. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2011.
  14. Rock, David. Argentina, 1516–1982. University of California Press, 1987.
  15. "EDELAP – 120 años de alumbrado público". Edelap.com.ar. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  16. "Encuesta Permanente de Hogares" (PDF). Indec. 23 August 2015. p. 3.
  17. "Censo 2010 Argentina resultados definitivos: mapas". 200.51.91.231. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  18. B.R. Mitchell. International historical statistics: the Americas, 1750–2000.
  19. "Demographic Yearbook System". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  20. "Serie 5 – Estadísticas Vitales". Retrieved 8 October 2018. Dirección de Estadística e Información de Salud
  21. "Fecundidad", European Border Surveillance System
  22. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org.
  24. "Demographic Yearbook System". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  25. "World Factbook SOUTH AMERICA : Argentina", The World Factbook, 12 July 2018
  26. "Argentina Population 2018", World Population Review
  27. "SOUTH AMERICA :: ARGENTINA". CIA The World Factbook.
  28. https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/reference-populations-next-gen/
  29. "Encuesta Complementaria de Pueblos Indígenas 2004–2005" (in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
  30. "About Argentina". Government of Argentina. Archived from the original on 19 September 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  31. "Federaciones Regionales". Feditalia.org.ar. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  32. "Historical references". Cdtradition.net. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  33. "Monografías". Monografias.com. 7 May 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  34. Chavez, Lydia (23 June 1985). "New York Times: A bit of Britain in Argentina". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  35. Birt, Paul W. (2005). "Welsh (in Argentina)". In Diarmuid Ó Néill (ed.). Rebuilding the Celtic Languages. Talybont: Y Lolfa. p. 146. ISBN 0-86243-723-7.
  36. "Wales and Argentina". Wales.com website. Welsh Assembly Government. 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
  37. Berresford Ellis, Peter (1983). The Celtic revolution: a study in anti-imperialism. Talybont: Y Lolfa. pp. 175–178. ISBN 0-86243-096-8.
  38. Población extranjera empadronada en el país por lugar de nacimiento Archived 13 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine INDEC
  39. Tendencias recientes de la inmigración internacional Archived 24 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine INDEC
  40. Investigación de la Migración Internacional en Latinoamérica (IMILA) Archived 14 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Centro Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Demografía (CELADE). Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
  41. Censo Nacional de Población, Hogares y Viviendas 2001 Archived 3 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine INDEC.
  42. "Cuadro P6. Total del país. Población total nacida en el extranjero por lugar de nacimiento, según sexo y grupos de edad. Año 2010" (Press release). INDEC. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  43. "Patria Grande". Patriagrande.gov.ar. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  44. "Alientan la mudanza de extranjeros hacia el interior – Sociedad –". Perfil.com. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  45. Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version: Languages of Argentina, Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
  46. WorldLanguage website. Retrieved on 2007-01-29
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  48. Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (2005). "Language of Argentina". Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. SIL International. Retrieved 21 August 2008. Welsh (25,000)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  49. "Latinobarómetro 1995 - 2017: El Papa Francisco y la Religión en Chile y América Latina" (PDF) (in Spanish). January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  50. Marita Carballo. Valores good food here al cambio del milenio ISBN 950-794-064-2. Cited in La Nación, 8 May 2005
  51. "Argentina". International Religious Freedom Report. U.S. Department of State. 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  52. "Clarín". Clarin.com. 22 December 2003. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
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