Population and Demographics

Ethnic Groups

Unlike many other Latin American nations (the notable other exception being Uruguay), the population of Argentina is heavily made up of inhabitants of a white European background - 97%, the largest being Italians and Spaniards. There are also significant German, Polish, French and Slavic populations.

After the regimented Spanish colonists, waves of European settlers came to Argentina from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. Major contributors include Italy (initially from Piedmont, Veneto and Lombardy, later from Campania and Calabria), Spain (foremost among them ethnic Galicians and Basques) and France (mostly to Buenos Aires and Mendoza). Smaller but significant numbers of immigrants came from Germany and Switzerland (in the so-called Lakes Region of Patagonia; and in Córdoba), Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), Greece, the United Kingdom and Ireland (to Buenos Aires, Santa Fé, and Patagonia), and Portugal. Eastern Europeans were also numerous, from Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Lithuania, as well as Balkan countries (Croatia and Montenegro, particularly in Chaco). There is a large Armenian community, and the Patagonian Chubut Valley has a significant Welsh-descended population. Smaller waves of settlers from Australia, South Africa and the United States are recorded in Argentine immigration records.

The majority of Argentina's Jewish community derives from immigrants of north and eastern European origin (Ashkenazi Jews), and about 15-20% from Sephardic groups from Spain. Argentina is home to the fifth largest Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. According to the National Census, Jews make up 2% of Argentina's Population

The largest ethnic minority is the Mestizo (European/Native American Indigenous). Estimates range from 3 to 15%, the 3% figure being the most credited. In recent decades, especially during the 1990s, there has been an influx of immigrants from neighbouring countries, principally Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru.

Small but growing numbers of people from East Asia have also settled Argentina, mainly in Buenos Aires. The first Asian-Argentines were of Japanese descent; Koreans, Vietnamese, and Chinese followed, now at over 60,000.

Argentina has a large Arabic community, made up mostly of immigrants from Syria and Lebanon. Many have gained prominent status in national business and politics, including former president Carlos Menem, the son of Syrian settlers from the province of La Rioja. Most of the Arab Argentines are Christian of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, other than Muslims who represent a small portion of Arab Argentines.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 39,921,833
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 25.2% (male 5,153,164/female 4,921,625)
  • 15-64 years: 64.1% (male 12,804,376/female 12,798,731)
  • 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 1,740,118/female 2,503,819)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 29.7 years
  • Male: 28.8 years
  • Female: 30.7 years
• Population Growth Rate: 0.96%
• Birth Rate: 16.73 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 7.55 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: 0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• 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
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 14.73 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 16.58 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 12.78 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 76.12 years
  • Male: 72.38 years
  • Female: 80.05 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 2.16 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 0.7%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • White (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%
  • Mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3%
• Religions:
  • Nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing)
  • Protestant 2%
  • Jewish 2%
  • Other 4%
• Languages:
  • Spanish (official)
  • English
  • Italian
  • German
  • French
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 97.1%
  • Male: 97.1%
  • Female: 97.1%