Argentina People - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

45,864,941 (July 2021 est.)

Nationality

noun: Argentine(s)

adjective: Argentine

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

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

printed major-language sample:
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Roman Catholic 62.9%, Evangelical 15.3% (Pentecostal 13%, other Evangelical 2.3%), Jehovah's Witness and Mormon 1.4%, other 1.2%, agnostic 3.2%, atheist 6%, none 9.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2019 est.)

Demographic profile

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. Life expectancy has been improving, most notably among the young and the poor. While the population under age 15 is shrinking, the youth cohort - ages 15-24 - is the largest in Argentina's history and will continue to bolster the working-age population. If this large working-age population is well-educated and gainfully employed, Argentina is likely to experience an economic boost and possibly higher per capita savings and investment. Although literacy and primary school enrollment are nearly universal, grade repetition is problematic and secondary school completion is low. Both of these issues vary widely by region and socioeconomic group.

Argentina has been primarily a country of immigration for most of its history, welcoming European immigrants (often providing needed low-skilled labor) after its independence in the 19th century and attracting especially large numbers from Spain and Italy. More than 7 million European immigrants are estimated to have arrived in Argentina between 1880 and 1930, when it adopted a more restrictive immigration policy. European immigration also began to wane in the 1930s because of the global depression. The inflow rebounded temporarily following WWII and resumed its decline in the 1950s when Argentina's military dictators tightened immigration rules and European economies rebounded. Regional migration increased, however, supplying low-skilled workers escaping economic and political instability in their home countries. As of 2015, immigrants made up almost 5% of Argentina's population, the largest share in South America. Migration from neighboring countries accounted for approximately 80% of Argentina's immigrant population in 2015.

The first waves of highly skilled Argentine emigrant workers headed mainly to the United States and Spain in the 1960s and 1970s, driven by economic decline and repressive military dictatorships. The 2008 European economic crisis drove the return migration of some Argentinean and other Latin American nationals, as well as the immigration of Europeans to South America, where Argentina was a key recipient. In 2015, Argentina received the highest number of legal migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean. The majority of its migrant inflow came from Paraguay and Bolivia.

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: 39.6% (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.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 56.5

youth dependency ratio: 38.1

elderly dependency ratio: 17.7

potential support ratio: 5.6 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 32.4 years

male: 31.1 years

female: 33.6 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

0.84% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

15.8 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

7.36 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

-0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

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

Urbanization

urban population: 92.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 0.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

15.258 million BUENOS AIRES (capital), 1.585 million Cordoba, 1.554 million Rosario, 1.191 million Mendoza, 1 million San Miguel de Tucuman, 894,000 La Plata (2021)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 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: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality rate

39 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 10.57 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 8.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.07 years

male: 74.97 years

female: 81.36 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.2 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

81.3% (2013)

note:  percent of women aged 14-49

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 99% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 99.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 1% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0.9% of population (2015 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

9.6% (2018)

Physicians density

3.99 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density

5 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 98.3% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban: 1.7% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.4% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

140,000 (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,400 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases

note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Argentina; as of 19 July 2021, Argentina has reported a total of 4,756,378 cases of COVID-19 or 10,523.94 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with 224.69 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 19 July 2021, 48.74% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

28.3% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.7% (2018/19)

Education expenditures

5.5% of GDP (2017)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 98.9%

female: 99.1% (2018)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 18 years

male: 16 years

female: 19 years (2017)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 25.9%

male: 23.9%

female: 28.8% (2019 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Argentina on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Argentina 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Argentina 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.