Demographics of Argentina
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Demographics of ArgentinaPopulation 46,044,703 (2022 census)[1]Density 16.46/km2Growth rate 0.2% (2023 est.)Birth rate 10.7 births/1,000 population (2022)[2]Death rate 8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2022)[2]Life expectancy 78.55 years • male 75.49 years • female 81.81 years (2023 est.)[3]Fertility rate 1.36 children born/woman (2022)[4]Infant mortality rate 8.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2022)[2]Net migration rate -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)[3]Age structure0–14 years 22.0% (male 5,645,070/female 5,316,156)15–64 years 66.1% (male 14,929,084/female 14,827,733)65 and over 11.9% (male 2,511,984/female 3,391,820) (2022 census)[5]Sex ratioTotal0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)[3]At birth1.07 male(s)/femaleUnder 151.06 male(s)/female15–64 years1.01 male(s)/female65 and over0.74 male(s)/femaleNationalityNationalityArgentineMajor ethnicEuropean (N/D)Minor ethnic

Multiracial (N/D)

Asian (N/D)

Indigenous (2.83%)[6]

Mapuche (0.32%)

Guaraní (0.29%)

Diaguita (0.19%)

Toba (0.17%)

Qulla (0.15%)

Wichí (0.15%)

Others (1.56%)

African (0.66%)[6]

LanguageOfficialSpanish (96.8%)[7]Spoken

Italian (1.7%)

Quechua (0.4%)

Others (1.1%)

This is a demography of Argentina including population density, ethnicity, economic status and other aspects of the population.

As of the 2022 census [INDEC], Argentina had a population of 46,044,703[1] - a 15.3% increase from the 40,117,096 counted in the 2010 census [INDEC].[8]

Argentina ranks third in South America in total population and 33rd globally. The population density is 16.5 people per square kilometer - well below the world average of 62 people. Argentina's population growth rate in 2020 was estimated to be 0.35% annually, with a birth rate of 11.8 per 1,000 inhabitants and a mortality rate of 8.3 per 1,000 inhabitants.

The proportion of people under 15, at 22%, is somewhat below the world average (25%), and the cohort of people 65 and older is relatively high, at 12%.[5] 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 9.8%.

The median age is approximately 32 years,[5] and life expectancy at birth is of 78 years.[9] 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), 9.3% speak Portuguese[10] and 5.9% speak Italian.[11]

Cities

Argentina is highly urbanized,[9] 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 including suburban Greater Buenos Aires the metropolitan area totals around 14 million - making it one of the 15 largest urban areas in the world.[12] The metropolitan areas of Córdoba and Rosario have around 1.3 million inhabitants each,[12] and six other cities (Mendoza, Tucumán, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Salta and Santa Fe)[12][13] have at least half a million people each.

The population is unequally distributed amongst the provinces, with 61% living in the Pampa region (21% of the total area), including 17.5 million people in Buenos Aires Province, 4 million in Córdoba Province, and over 3 million each in Santa Fe Province and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Eight other provinces each have over one million people: Mendoza, Tucumán, Salta, Entre Ríos, Misiones, Corrientes, Chaco, and Santiago del Estero. Tucumán is the most densely populated (with 75 inhabitants/km2, the only Argentine province more densely populated than the world average), while the southern province of Santa Cruz has just 1.4 inhabitant/km2.[14]

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 immigrant receptor countries such as Canada, Brazil, Australia, etc.[15][16]

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.[17]

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 lighting.[18]

Provinces and districts

Flag Province/District Capital Population (2022)[5] Rank Density (/km2)[5] Avg. growth from 2010 census[8][5] Births (2021)[2] Rate Deaths (2021)[2] Rate Infant mortality (2021)[2] Buenos Aires City – 3,121,707 4 15,372.5 0.64 26,044 8.3 36,201 11.6 4.6 Buenos Aires Province La Plata 17,523,996 1 57.1 0.98 190,096 10.8 177,133 10.1 7.9 Catamarca Province San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca 429,562 20 4.2 1.30 4,764 11.1 3,572 8.3 7.6 Chaco Province Resistencia 1,129,606 11 11.5 0.67 18,673 16.3 11,231 9.8 9.5 Chubut Province Rawson 592,621 18 2.7 1.42 6,426 10.7 4,484 7.4 9.2 Córdoba Province Córdoba 3,840,905 2 24.1 1.55 44,159 11.1 37,491 9.4 6.6 Corrientes Province Corrientes 1,212,696 10 13.6 1.58 15,743 13.1 9,324 7.8 11.2 Entre Ríos Province Paraná 1,425,578 8 18.1 1.20 16,402 11.5 13,097 9.2 9.5 Formosa Province Formosa 607,419 17 8.4 1.12 8,818 14.6 5,134 8.5 11.6 Jujuy Province San Salvador de Jujuy 811,611 14 15.0 1.43 8,434 10.6 5,786 7.3 10.0 La Pampa Province Santa Rosa 361,859 22 2.6 1.15 3,573 9.8 3,445 9.4 4.8 La Rioja Province La Rioja 383,865 21 4.3 1.19 4,605 12.0 3,176 8.3 10.6 Mendoza Province Mendoza 2,043,540 5 13.5 1.23 22,903 11.4 18,086 9.0 7.0 Misiones Province Posadas 1,278,873 9 43.0 1.27 20,584 16.1 9,643 7.5 8.4 Neuquén Province Neuquén 710,814 16 7.7 2.33 7,769 10.7 5,202 7.2 4.8 Río Negro Province Viedma 750,768 15 3.8 1.48 8,033 10.5 6,686 8.8 8.6 Salta Province Salta 1,441,351 7 9.3 1.43 20,366 14.1 10,092 7.0 8.7 San Juan Province San Juan 822,853 13 9.1 1.54 11,147 13.6 6,891 8.4 7.3 San Luis Province San Luis 542,069 19 7.0 1.89 6,007 11.1 4,673 8.6 9.8 Santa Cruz Province Río Gallegos 337,226 23 1.4 1.65 3,536 10.6 2,298 6.9 7.4 Santa Fe Province Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz 3,544,908 3 26.7 0.90 43,310 12.2 37,931 10.7 7.8 Santiago del Estero Province Santiago del Estero 1,060,906 12 7.7 1.57 13,623 12.9 8,229 7.8 6.8 Tierra del Fuego Province a Ushuaia 185,732 24 8.8 3.43 1,753 9.2 849 4.5 5.7 Tucumán Province San Miguel de Tucumán 1,731,820 6 75.6 1.36 21,987 12.9 14,906 8.8 9.9

a Not including claims to the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Historical census data

Historical populationYearPop.±% p.a.1650 298,000— 1778 420,900+0.27%1800 551,500+1.24%1809 609,200+1.11%1825 766,400+1.45%1839 926,300+1.36%1857 1,299,600+1.90%1869 1,830,214+2.89%1895 4,044,911+3.10%1914 7,903,662+3.59%1947 15,893,811+2.14%1960 20,013,793+1.79%1970 23,364,431+1.56%1980 27,949,480+1.81%1991 32,615,528+1.41%2001 36,260,130+1.06%2010 40,117,096+1.13%2022 45,892,285+1.13%Source:[19][20]

Sources: Pantelides and National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina[20]

Years Total fertility rates

(children/woman) Crude birth rates Age

0-14 Age

15-29 Age

30-44 Age

45-59 Age

60-74 Age

75+ 1869 6.8 49.1

45.3%

29.7%

16.0%

7.0%

1.8%

0.2%

1895 7.0 44.5

40.3%

27.7%

19.5%

8.9%

2.9%

0.7%

1914 5.2 36.5

38.4%

30.8%

17.9%

8.9%

3.3%

0.7%

1947 3.2 24.7

30.8%

27.5%

21.5%

13.6%

5.5%

1.1%

1960 3.1 22.9

30.8%

23.8%

21.2%

15.3%

7.3%

1.6%

1970 3.1 22.7

29.3%

24.6%

19.9%

15.4%

8.6%

2.2%

1980 3.4 24.8

30.4%

23.9%

18.8%

15.1%

9.0%

2.8%

1991 2.9 21.1

30.6%

23.3%

19.3%

13.9%

9.6%

3.3%

2001 2.6 18.4

28.3%

25.0%

18.6%

14.7%

9.3%

4.1%

2010 2.4 18.5

25.5%

24.8%

20.2%

15.2%

9.8%

4.5%

2022 1.4 10.1

22.0%

23.3%

22.1%

16.4%

11.2%

5.0%

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 compile the table.[21][22][23]

The number of births in 2021 (529,794) was 32% below the record set in 2014, while the number of deaths (436,799) was the highest ever recorded[2] - though as the population of Argentina showed a five-fold increase during the past century, the birth rate in 2021 (11.6) was a record low while the death rate (9.5) rose to its highest since 1947 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Birth rates were relatively stable from 1934 through 1980,[21] and after declining stabilized from 1995 to 2015 - before again declining sharply since then.[23]

Average population (June 30) Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate

(per 1000) Crude death rate

(per 1000) Natural change

(per 1000) Crude migration

(per 1000) Total fertility rate[24] Infant mortality rate 1910 6,800,000 260,000 129,000 131,000 38.3 18.9 19.4 5.26 1911 7,070,000 268,000 129,000 139,000 37.9 18.2 19.7 19,3 5.24 148.0 1912 7,470,000 288,000 127,000 161,000 38.6 17.0 21.6 33.8 5.43 143.0 1913 7,840,000 298,000 127,000 171,000 38.0 16.2 21.8 26.6 5.42 130.0 1914 8,000,000 294,000 123,000 171,000 36.7 15.4 21.3 -1.4 5.16 125.0 1915 8,150,000 288,000 129,000 159,000 35.3 15.8 19.5 -1.1 4.94 124.0 1916 8,300,000 293,000 142,000 151,000 35.3 17.1 18.2 -0.1 4.90 124.0 1917 8,450,000 284,000 136,000 148,000 33.6 16.1 17.5 0,2 4.64 128.0 1918 8,600,000 283,000 157,000 126,000 32.9 18.2 14.7 2.8 4.51 138.0 1919 8,750,000 286,000 161,000 125,000 32.7 18.4 14.3 2.9 4.45 134.0 1920 8,970,000 290,000 139,000 151,000 32.3 15.5 16.8 7.9 4.40 127.0 1921 9,220,000 302,000 146,000 156,000 32.8 15.8 17.0 10.5 4.47 116.0 1922 9,520,000 315,000 133,000 182,000 33.1 14.0 19.1 12.8 4.55 112.0 1923 9,890,000 336,000 146,000 190,000 34.0 14.8 19.2 18.9 4.74 112.0 1924 10,220,000 335,000 146,000 189,000 32.8 14.3 18.5 14.3 4.61 116.0 1925 10,500,000 334,000 148,000 186,000 31.8 14.1 17.7 9.2 4.49 121.0 1926 10,800,000 337,000 147,000 190,000 31.2 13.6 17.6 10.5 4.42 119.0 1927 11,130,000 342,000 157,000 185,000 30.7 14.1 16.6 13.4 4.38 126.0 1928 11,440,000 352,000 151,000 201,000 30.8 13.2 17.6 9.8 4.40 113.0 1929 11,750,000 355,000 162,000 193,000 30.2 13.8 16.4 10.3 4.33 107.0 1930 12,050,000 355,000 153,000 202,000 29.5 12.7 16.8 8.3 4.22 100.0 1931 12,290,000 350,000 156,000 194,000 28.5 12.7 15.8 3.8 4.07 100.0 1932 12,520,000 352,000 139,000 213,000 28.1 11.1 17.0 1.4 3.99 95.0 1933 12,730,000 332,000 150,000 182,000 26.1 11.8 14.3 2.2 3.67 87.0 1934 12,940,000 319,661 143,065 176,596 24.7 11.1 13.6 2.6 3.45 96.6 1935 13,150,000 322,002 162,768 159,234 24.5 12.4 12.1 3.9 3.39 105.6 1936 13,370,000 318,651 150,092 168,559 23.8 11.2 12.6 3.9 3.28 96.2 1937 13,610,000 319,024 154,275 164,749 23.4 11.3 12.1 5.6 3.20 95.4 1938 14,202,000 325,412 161,555 163,857 22.9 11.4 11.5 31.5 3.19 105.3 1939 14,397,000 329,393 149,153 180,240 22.9 10.4 12.5 1.0 3.14 91.7 1940 14,591,000 339,029 151,856 187,173 23.2 10.4 12.8 0.5 3.18 90.2 1941 14,796,000 340,339 148,947 191,392 23.0 10.1 12.9 0.9 3.11 84.8 1942 15,004,000 338,199 150,030 188,169 22.5 10.0 12.5 1.3 3.03 86.1 1943 15,216,000 358,977 150,166 208,811 23.6 9.9 13.7 0.2 3.12 79.8 1944 15,441,000 380,950 154,093 226,857 24.7 10.0 14.7 -0.1 3.23 80.7 1945 15,674,000 388,191 157,785 230,406 24.8 10.1 14.7 0.2 3.21 82.1 1946 15,912,000 387,496 149,895 237,601 24.4 9.4 14.9 0 3.12 79.0 1947 16,109,000 398,468 158,059 240,409 24.7 9.7 15.0 -2.7 3.14 77.1 1948 16,284,000 413,132 152,648 260,484 25.4 9.4 16.0 -5.3 3.19 69.5 1949 16,671,000 419,656 150,604 269,052 25.2 9.0 16.1 7.2 3.18 67.0 1950 17,150,000 438,766 154,540 284,226 25.6 9.0 16.6 11.7 3.26 68.2 1951 17,506,000 444,326 156,406 287,920 25.4 9.0 16.5 4.0 3.26 67.4 1952 17,865,000 446,156 153,887 292,269 25.0 8.6 16.4 3.8 3.22 64.3 1953 18,224,000 459,734 162,217 297,517 25.3 8.9 16.4 3.4 3.27 63.8 1954 18,580,000 457,559 156,347 301,212 24.6 8.4 16.2 3.0 3.21 60.4 1955 18,931,000 461,293 167,357 293,936 24.4 8.8 15.5 3.1 3.20 61.8 1956 19,277,000 474,142 161,321 312,821 24.6 8.4 16.2 1.8 3.24 57.0 1957 19,618,000 478,368 179,578 298,790 24.4 9.2 15.2 2.2 3.24 68.5 1958 19,955,000 472,865 166,235 306,630 23.7 8.3 15.4 1.5 3.16 61.4 1959 20,291,000 476,211 173,409 302,802 23.5 8.5 14.9 1.7 3.15 59.1 1960 20,625,000 473,038 179,266 293,772 22.9 8.7 14.2 2.0 3.08 62.4 1961 20,961,000 476,259 176,477 299,782 22.7 8.4 14.3 1.8 3.06 59.1 1962 21,297,000 490,414 184,013 306,401 23.0 8.6 14.4 1.4 3.11 58.7 1963 21,633,000 491,109 187,492 303,617 22.7 8.7 14.0 1.5 3.07 61.8 1964 21,966,000 496,256 193,141 303,115 22.6 8.8 13.8 1.4 3.05 58.3 1965 22,297,000 481,814 196,467 285,347 21.6 8.8 12.8 2.1 2.92 56.9 1966 22,622,000 479,396 194,450 284,946 21.2 8.6 12.6 1.8 2.87 53.4 1967 22,945,000 480,317 195,265 285,052 20.9 8.5 12.4 1.7 2.84 55.0 1968 23,273,000 493,354 213,313 280,041 21.2 9.2 12.0 2.1 2.87 59.9 1969 23,617,000 580,699 222,937 357,762 24.6 9.4 15.2 -0.6 3.34 52.5 1970 23,983,000 544,521 222,113 322,408 22.7 9.3 13.5 1.8 3.09 59.1 1971 24,376,000 564,787 225,000 339,787 23.2 9.2 14.0 2.2 3.16 50.0 1972 24,792,000 559,398 220,000 339,398 22.6 9.0 13.6 3.1 3.09 49.0 1973 25,222,000 561,500 226,000 335,500 22.3 9.1 13.2 3.8 3.06 47.0 1974 25,654,000 602,000 231,000 371,000 23.5 9.0 14.5 2.4 3.24 46.0 1975 26,079,000 620,000 229,000 391,000 23.8 8.8 15.0 1.3 3.29 44.0 1976 26,493,000 656,768 240,764 416,004 24.8 9.1 15.7 -0.1 3.44 44.4 1977 26,899,000 661,222 234,430 426,792 24.6 8.7 15.9 -0.8 3.43 44.5 1978 27,303,000 665,000 233,482 431,518 24.4 8.6 15.8 -1.0 3.41 40.8 1979 27,712,000 647,864 234,926 412,938 23.4 8.5 14.9 -0.1 3.29 38.5 1980 28,131,000 697,775 241,125 456,650 24.8 8.6 16.3 -1.4 3.49 33.2 1981 28,562,000 680,292 241,904 438,388 23.8 8.5 15.4 -0.3 3.37 33.6 1982 29,001,000 663,429 234,926 428,503 22.9 8.1 14.8 0.3 3.24 30.5 1983 29,448,000 655,876 233,071 422,805 22.3 7.9 14.4 0.8 3.15 29.7 1984 29,900,000 635,323 255,591 379,732 21.3 8.6 12.7 2.5 3.00 30.4 1985 30,354,000 650,783 241,377 409,406 21.5 8.0 13.5 1.5 3.02 26.2 1986 30,811,000 675,388 241,004 434,384 22.0 7.8 14.1 0.7 3.08 26.9 1987 31,270,000 668,136 249,882 418,254 21.4 8.0 13.4 1.3 2.99 26.6 1988 31,729,000 680,605 254,953 425,652 21.5 8.1 13.5 1.1 3.00 25.8 1989 32,187,000 667,058 252,302 414,756 20.8 7.9 12.9 1.4 2.89 25.7 1990 32,642,000 678,644 259,683 418,961 20.9 8.0 12.9 1.1 2.89 25.6 1991 33,094,000 694,776 255,609 439,167 21.0 7.7 13.3 0.4 2.91 24.7 1992 33,540,000 678,761 262,287 416,474 20.2 7.8 12.4 0.9 2.79 23.9 1993 33,982,000 667,518 267,286 400,232 19.6 7.9 11.8 1.2 2.70 22.9 1994 34,420,000 673,787 257,431 416,356 19.6 7.5 12.1 0.6 2.68 22.0 1995 34,855,000 658,735 268,997 389,738 18.9 7.7 11.2 1.3 2.58 22.2 1996 35,287,000 675,437 268,715 406,722 19.1 7.6 11.5 0.7 2.60 20.9 1997 35,715,000 692,357 270,910 421,447 19.4 7.6 11.8 0.2 2.63 18.8 1998 36,135,000 683,301 280,180 403,121 18.9 7.8 11.2 0.5 2.56 19.1 1999 36,541,000 686,748 289,543 397,205 18.8 7.9 10.9 0.2 2.54 17.6 2000 36,931,000 701,878 277,148 424,730 19.0 7.5 11.5 -1.0 2.57 16.6 2001 37,302,000 683,495 285,941 397,554 18.3 7.7 10.7 -0.7 2.50 16.3 2002 37,657,000 694,684 291,190 403,494 18.4 7.7 10.7 -1.3 2.48 16.8 2003 38,001,000 697,952 302,064 395,888 18.4 7.9 10.4 -1.4 2.46 16.5 2004 38,341,000 736,261 294,051 442,210 19.2 7.7 11.5 -2.7 2.57 14.4 2005 38,681,000 721,220 293,529 427,691 18.6 7.6 11.1 -2.3 2.45 13.3 2006 39,024,000 696,451 292,313 404,138 17.8 7.5 10.4 -1.6 2.37 12.9 2007 39,368,000 700,792 315,852 384,940 17.8 8.0 9.8 -1.0 2.36 13.3 2008 39,714,000 746,460 301,801 444,659 18.8 7.6 11.2 -2.5 2.49 12.5 2009[25] 40,134,400 745,336 304,525 440,811 18.6 7.6 11.0 -0.5 2.46 12.1 2010 40,518,851 756,176 318,602 437,574 18.5 7.8 10.7 -1.3 2.47 11.9 2011 40,900,496 758,042 319,059 438,983 18.4 7.7 10.7 -1.4 2.45 11.7 2012 41,281,631 738,318 319,539 418,779 18.0 7.7 10.2 -1.4 2.28 11.1 2013 42,203,000 754,063 326,197 428,406 17.9 7.7 10.2 11.9 2.28 10.8 2014 42,669,500 777,012 325,539 451,437 18.2 7.6 10.6 0.4 2.33 10.6 2015 43,132,000 770,040 333,407 436,633 17.9 7.7 10.2 0.6 2.24 9.7 2016 43,590,000 728,035 352,992 375,043 16.7 8.2 8.5 1.9 2.13 9.7 2017 44,044,811 704,609 341,668 362,941 15.9 7.8 8.1 2.1 2.06 9.3 2018 44,494,502 685,394 336,823 348,571 15.4 7.6 7.8 2.3 2.00 8.8 2019 44,938,712 625,441 341,728 283,713 13.9 7.6 6.3 3.6 1.81 9.2 2020 45,376,763 533,299 376,219 157,080 11.8 8.3 3.5 6.3 1.61 8.4 2021 45,808,747 529,724 436,799 92,995 11.6 9.5 2.1 7.5 1.48 8.0 2022 46,234,830 495,295 397,115 98,180 10.7 8.6 2.1 7.2 1.39 8.4

Structure of the population

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[26][27] the total population was 45,276,780 in 2021 - double the number in 1966 (for a 1.27% average annual growth rate in that period). The population below the age of 15 in 2022 was 22%, 66% was between 15 and 64, while 12% was 65 or older.[3]

Year Total population Population percentage in age bracket aged 0–14 aged 15–64 aged 65+ 1950 17 150 000

31.2%

64.6%

4.2%

1955 18 928 000

31.3%

63.9%

4.8%

1960 20 616 000

30.8%

63.6%

5.6%

1965 22 283 000

30.2%

63.6%

6.2%

1970 23 963 000

29.3%

63.7%

7.0%

1975 26 049 000

29.4%

63.0%

7.6%

1980 28 094 000

30.4%

61.4%

8.2%

1985 30 305 000

31.0%

60.5%

8.5%

1990 32 527 000

30.7%

60.4%

8.9%

1995 34 768 000

29.6%

61.0%

9.4%

2000 36 784 000

28.5%

61.8%

9.7%

2005 38 592 000

27.3%

62.8%

9.9%

2010 40 788 000

25.5%

64.3%

10.2%

2015 43 132 000

25.2%

64.1%

10.7%

2020 45 177 000

23.6%

65.0%

11.4%

UN estimates

The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates of vital statistics of Argentina. [30]

Period Live births

per year Deaths

per year Natural change

per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR* Life expectancy total males females 1950–1955 457,600 163,800 293,800 25.4 9.1 16.3 3.15 66 62.5 60.4 65.1 1955–1960 479,800 169,800 310,000 24.3 8.6 15.7 3.13 60 64.5 62.1 67.4 1960–1965 497,200 188,800 308,400 23.2 8.8 14.4 3.09 60 65.2 62.4 68.6 1965–1970 521,400 209,400 312,000 22.5 9.1 13.4 3.05 57 65.7 62.7 69.3 1970–1975 585,200 224,400 360,800 23.4 9.0 14.4 3.15 48 67.2 64.1 70.7 1975–1980 694,800 241,000 453,800 25.7 8.9 16.8 3.44 39 68.6 65.4 72.2 1980–1985 676,400 247,800 428,600 23.1 8.5 14.7 3.15 32 70.1 66.8 73.7 1985–1990 701,000 264,800 436,200 22.2 8.4 13.8 3.05 27 71.0 67.5 74.6 1990–1995 721,800 274,800 447,000 21.3 8.1 13.2 2.90 24 72.1 68.6 75.8 1995–2000 711,200 282,600 428,600 19.7 7.8 11.8 2.63 22 73.2 69.6 76.9 2000–2005 731,800 296,200 435,600 19.1 7.8 11.3 2.48 15 74.3 70.6 78.1 2005–2010 741,400 309,000 432,400 18.4 7.7 10.7 2.37 13 75.3 71.6 79.1 2010–2015 754,200 321,400 432,800 17.9 7.7 10.2 2.33 11 76.2 72.5 79.8 2015–2020 702,600 341,300 361,300 16.0 7.7 8.3 2.08 9 77.1 73.6 80.6 2020–2025 11.2 8.0 3.2 1.46 2025–2030 11.4 7.7 3.7 1.50 * 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 1930s and then becoming more gradual.[9]

Life expectancy has been improving, most notably among the young and the poor.[9]

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review.[31]

One birth every 1 minute

One death every 1.4 minutes

One net migrant every 111 minutes

Net gain of one person every 3 minutes

Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[9]

Population

46,245,668 (2022 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

0–14 years: 24.02% (male 5,629,188 /female 5,294,723)

15–24 years: 15.19% (male 3,539,021 /female 3,367,321)

25–54 years: 39.60% (male 9,005,758 /female 9,002,931)

55–64 years: 9.07% (male 2,000,536 /female 2,122,699)

65 years and over: 12.13% (male 2,331,679 /female 3,185,262) (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 32.4 years. Country comparison to the world: 107th

male: 31.1 years

female: 33.6 years (2020 est.)

Birth rate

11.8 births/1,000 population (2020 est.) Country comparison to the world: 109th

Death rate

8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.) Country comparison to the world: 108th

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (2020 est.) Country comparison to the world: 92nd

Net migration rate

-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 101st

Population growth rate

0.35% (2020 est.) Country comparison to the world: 121st

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 74th

male: 75.2 years

female: 81.6 years (2022 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 8.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)

male: 9.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)

female: 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official), Italian, Portuguese, 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: 54.3

youth dependency ratio: 36.0

elderly dependency ratio: 18.2

potential support ratio: 5.5 (2021 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 92.5% of total population (2020)

rate of urbanization: 0.97% annual rate of change (2020–25 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: 1.07 male(s)/female

0–14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15–24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

25–54 years: 1 male(s)/female

55–64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Ethnic groups

In colonial times, the ethnic composition of Argentina was the result of the interaction of the pre-Columbian indigenous population with a colonizing population of Spanish origin and with sub-Saharan African slaves. Before the middle 19th century, the ethnic make up of Argentina was very similar to that of other countries of Latin America.[32][33][34][35] Between 1857 and 1950 Argentina was the country with the second biggest immigration wave in the world, at 6.6 million, second only to the United States in the numbers of immigrants received (27 million) and ahead of other areas of new settlement like Canada, Brazil and Australia.[36][37] However, mass European immigration did not have the same impact in the whole country. According to the 1914 national census, 30% of Argentina's population was foreign-born, including 50% of the people in the city of Buenos Aires, but foreigners were only 2% in the provinces of Catamarca and La Rioja (North West region).[33] Strikingly, at those times, the national population doubled every two decades. This belief is endured in the popular saying "los argentinos descienden de los barcos" (Argentines descend from the ships). Therefore, most Argentines are descended from the 19th- and 20th-century immigrants of the great European immigration wave to Argentina (1850–1955),[38] with a great majority of these immigrants coming from diverse European countries, particularly Italy and Spain.[15]

Indigenous peoples

Main article: Argentine Amerindians

According to the data of INDEC's Complementary Survey of Indigenous Peoples (ECPI) 2004–2005, 600,000 officially recognized indigenous people (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.[41] 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 % Aonikenk 10,590

1.8%

Atacama 3,044

0.5%

Avá-Guaraní 21,807

3.6%

Aymara 4,104

0.7%

Chané 4,376

0.7%

Charrúa 4,511

0.7%

Chorote 2,613

0.4%

Chulupí 553

0.1%

Comechingón 10,863

1.8%

Diaguita/diaguita calchaquí 31,753

5.3%

Guaraní 22,059

3.7%

Het 736

0.1%

Huarpe 14,633

2.4%

Kolla 70,505

11.7%

Lule 854

0.1%

Mapuche 113,680

18.8%

Mbyá 8,223

1.4%

Mocoví 15,837

2.6%

Omaguaca 1,553

0.3%

Pilagá 4,465

0.7%

Puelche 1,585

0.3%

Qom 69,452

11.5%

Quechua 6,739

1.1%

Rankulche 10,149

1.7%

Sanavirón 563

0.1%

Selknam 696

0.1%

Tapiete 524

0.1%

Tonocoté 4,779

0.8%

Wichí 40,036

6.6%

Others 3,864

0.6%

Not specified 102,247

16.0%

Afro-Argentines

Main article: Afro-Argentines

Since 2013, November 8 has been celebrated as the National Day of Afro-Argentines and African Culture. The date was chosen to commemorate the recorded date for the death of María Remedios del Valle, a rabona and guerrilla fighter, who served with the Army of the North in the war of Independence.[42][43]

The black population in Argentina declined since the middle 19th century from 15% of the total population in 1857 (Blacks and Mulatto people), to less than 0.5% at present (mainly mulattoes and immigrants from Cape Verde).

Afro-Argentines were up to a third of the population during colonial times; most were slaves brought from Africa to work for the criollos. The 1813 Assembly abolished slavery and led to the Freedom of Wombs Law of 1813, which automatically freed slaves' children at birth. Many Afro-Argentines contributed to the independence of Argentina such as María Remedios del Valle who is known as "La Madre de la Patria" (mother of the fatherland in English) and Sgt. Juan Bautista Cabral. Also there is a debate, among the historians, as to whether or not Bernardino Rivadavia, the first president of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (Present Argentina) had African ancestors.[44]

Immigration to Argentina

Main article: Immigration to Argentina

European settlement

As with other areas of new settlement such as Canada, Australia, the United States, Brazil, and New Zealand, Argentina is considered a country of immigrants.[45] 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;[36][37] and that the country was scarcely populated following its independence, the impact of the immigration to Argentina becomes evident.[36][37]

In the last national census, based on self-identification, 952,032 Argentines (2.4% of the population) declared to be Amerindians.[41] 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.

The majority of these European immigrants came from Spain and Italy. Thousands of immigrants also came from France, Germany, England, Portugal, Brazil, Switzerland, Wales, Scotland, Poland, Albania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, 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;[46] Spanish immigrants were mainly Galicians and Basques.[47][48] 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.[49] 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.[50] Of the 50,000 Patagonians of Welsh descent, about 5,000 are Welsh speakers.[51] The community is centered on the cities of Gaiman, Trelew and Trevelin.[52]

Recent immigrants

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.[54][55] In 2010, 1,805,957 of the Argentine resident population were born outside Argentina, representing 4.50% of the total Argentine resident population.[54][55][56][57] As of July 2023, more than 18,500 Russians have come to Argentina after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[58]

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")[59] to encourage illegal immigrants to regularize their status; so far over 670,000 applications have been processed under the program.[60]

Rank (2010) Country of birth Estimate 2023[61] census 2010 census 2001 census 1991 1 Paraguay 916,136 550,713 325,046 254,115 2 Bolivia 671,193 345,272 233,464 145,670 3 Chile 209,449 191,147 212,429 247,987 4 Colombia 118,687 177,000 50,250 15,939 4 Peru 291,181 157,514 88,260 15,939 5 Italy 84,437 147,499 216,718 356,923 6 Uruguay 127,813 116,592 117,564 135,406 7 Spain 68,748 94,030 134,417 244,212 8 Brazil 106,023 41,330 34,712 33,966 9 China 52,341 8,929 4,184 2,297 10 Germany 7,888 8,416 10,362 15,451 11 South Korea 9,579 7,321 8,290 8,371 12 France 9,953 6,995 6,578 6,309 13 Venezuela 236,929 6,379 2,774 1,934 14 Japan N/D 4,036 4,753 5,674 15 Taiwan N/D 2,875 3,511 1,870 16 Syria N/D 1,337 2,350 N/D 17 Lebanon N/D 933 1,619 3,171 Other countries 193,968 121,018 127,683 150,849 TOTAL 3,094,372 1,805,957 1,531,940 1,628,210

Languages

Main article: Languages of Argentina

The official language of Argentina is Spanish, and it is spoken by practically the entire population in several different accents. [citation needed] The most common variation of Spanish in Argentina is the Rioplatense 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 tú for the second person singular. Additionally, the Argentinian accent sounds identical to Portuguese in the words that begin with 'll' or 'yo', and all the words in Portuguese that begin with 'ch'. For example, the following sentence English: What is your name? Portuguese: como se chama? Spanish: Como se llama? - 'chama' & 'llama' are pronounced as though they were spelled "Shama"in both Argentinian Spanish and Portuguese. Moreover, the sound shift of all of the words in Spanish that begin with "ll" or 'y' but sound like 'sh' i.e., 'llorar' 'llama, 'llegar' & 'yo'. In Portuguese the words that begin with 'ch' always sound like 'sh'. There are many more words like these shown above. The mutual intelligibility between Spanish and Portuguese is already high, but the 'sh' sound increases the intelligibility between both languages even more.

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.[9]

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).[10]

There are sources of around one million Levantine Arabic speakers in Argentina,[62] as a result of immigration from the Middle East, mostly from Syria and Lebanon.

Standard German is spoken by around 500,000[62][63] Argentines of German ancestry, though the number may be as high as 3,800,000 according to some sources.[64] German is the third or fourth most spoken language in Argentina.

There is a prosperous community of Argentine Welsh-speakers of approximately 25,000[65] in the province of Chubut, in the Patagonia region, who descend from 19th century immigrants.

Religion

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.[67]

Estimates for the number of Roman Catholics vary from 70% of the population,[68] to as much as 90%.[69] The CIA Factbook lists 92% of the country is Catholic, but only 20% are practicing regularly or weekly at a church service.[9] 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.[69][70] Muslim Argentines number about 500,000–600,000, or approximately 1.5% of the population; 93% of them are Sunni.[69] 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.[71]

Gallery

Population distribution by province

Built in 1906 to welcome hundreds of newcomers daily, the Hotel de Inmigrantes is now a national museum.

Spanish Argentines in the parade for May 25 in Trelew, Chubut.

Italian Argentines during the opening parade of the Immigrant's Festival in Oberá, Misiones.

See also

Argentines

National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina

European Argentines

Racism in Argentina

List of largest cities in Argentina

Immigration to Argentina

Great European immigration

Languages of Argentina

References