Demographics of Chile

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Chile is a relatively homogeneous country and most of its population is of predominantly Spanish origin, with varying degrees of native Amerindian admixture, the product of racial mixture between colonial Spanish immigrants and native Amerindian tribes. Chile has two common traits: The main language is Spanish and the predominant religion is Roman Catholic. Although culturally conservative, Chile has seen progressive periods with a high degree of "European" socialism in its history.

Chile isn't much populated, but about 85% of its population lives in urban areas, with 40% living in Greater Santiago (at 3.5 million). Chile's population growth is among the lowest in Latin America: at around 0.97%, it comes third only to Uruguay and Cuba. Chile's population is growing enough to fill the "replacement rate" as the country's population is expected to reach 20 million by the year 2025.

Chile is sometimes considered to have more of an "European" culture than some of its northern neighbors; its population shares with Argentina and Uruguay high degrees of European ancestry. For the first three centuries as a Spanish colony, Chile was a sparsely populated frontier that was rural and undeveloped, the government encouraged immigration to a certain extent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Europe and across Latin America to populate the land and generate economic growth in the country.

After three decades of recession and economic decline, Chile rebounded in living standards and had unprecedented economic growth in the 1990's and early 2000's. It heads up as one of the southern or western hemisphere's largest middle class percentages estimated at 40%, although a very small wealthy elite that is in charge of much of the country's resources. Another demographic study in 2006 finds over half the population in the lower-middle class, while 40%-45% are upper-middle class (comparable to most western or developed countries).

Contents 1 Ethnic Composition 2 Immigration 3 Indigenous communities 4 Demographic data 4.1 Population 4.2 Age structure 4.3 Median age 4.4 Population growth rate 4.5 Birth rate 4.6 Death rate 4.7 Net migration rate 4.8 Sex ratio 4.9 Infant mortality rate 4.10 Life expectancy at birth 4.11 Total fertility rate 4.12 HIV/AIDS 4.13 Nationality 4.14 Ethnic groups 4.15 Religions 4.16 Languages 4.17 Literacy 5 References

[edit] Ethnic Composition

The ethnic composition of Chileans is marked by a socio-genetic gradient where Amerindian admixture typically correlates to social levels. Amerindian contribution tends to be strongest in the lower echelons of society, and in the upper class and middle class, tend to register the lowest degree of Amerindian contribution. Almost the entirety of the population, however, presents a racially mixed origin, and only a small minority can truly be said to be unmixed European or unmixed Amerindian. The unmixed Amerindian population, in fact, is said to be now extinct. Nevertheless, based solely on phenotypic structure, between 5 and 10% of the current population would be classified as Amerindian, some 40% would be classified as white, and the remaining majority, between 50 and 55%, would be the discernably mestizo population whose average racial mixture is not much lower than the average generalized racial contribution of Chile According to the Program of Human Genetics of the University of Chile, the generalized racial contribution of Chile's population, calculated by the use of nuclear markers, is approximately 70% European contribution and 30% Amerindian, depending on the socioeconomic level. According to the 1992 Chilean census, a total of 10.5% of the total population declared themselves indigenous, irrespective of whether they currently practiced or spoke a native culture and language; almost one million people (9.7% of the total) declared themselves Mapuche, 0.6% declared to be Aymara, and a 0.2% reported as Rapanui. At the 2002 census, only indigenous people that still practiced or spoke a native culture and language were surveyed: 4.6% of the population (692,192 people) fit that description; of these, 87.3% declared themselves Mapuche. [10]. - According to the 2002 census, only indigenous people that still practiced or spoke a native culture and language were surveyed: 4.6% of the population (692,192 people) fit that description; of these, 87.3% declared themselves Mapuche. Other racial groups are the Rapa Nui, a native Polynesian people of Easter Island, 1400 kms. west of Chile in the south Pacific, followed by a small community of Japanese-Chileans, descendants of migrant laborers in the late 1800s, and Afro-Chileans of part-African descent, descendants of slaves in a country where slavery was not widely practiced, live in an enclave of Arica province.[1]

[edit] Immigration

Non-Spanish European immigrants arrived in Chile - mainly to the northern and southern extremities of the country - during the XIX and XX centuries, including English, Scots, Irish, Italians, French, and the Balkans (i.e. Serbia and Croatia). In 1848 a small but noteworthy German immigration took place, sponsored by the Chilean government with aims of colonising the southern region. The German immigration (some are Swiss) influenced the cultural composition of the southern provinces of Valdivia, Llanquihue and Osorno. The prevalence of non-Spanish surnames (esp. English, Scottish, French, German, Italian and Yugoslavian [Serbo-Croatian]), among the governing body of modern Chile are a testament to their contribution.

Also worth mentioning are the Japanese, Korean and especially Palestinian communities, the latter being the largest colony of that people outside of the Arab world, along with Lebanese and Syrians. The volume of immigrants from neighboring countries to Chile during those same periods was of a similar value. Smaller numbers of Dutch, Danes, Swedes, Austrians, Hungarians, Portuguese, Romanians, and Greeks also arrived in Chile and equally contributed to the country's development.

Currently, immigration from neighboring countries to Chile is greatest, and during the last decade immigration to Chile has doubled to 184,464 people in 2002, originating primarily from Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, and from includes those from other Latin American countries seek new employment opportunities in the economic "Milagro de Chile". A large majority of contract mine workers in famed mines in the Atacama desert and the Andes came from neighboring Bolivia.

Emigration of Chileans has decreased during the last decade: It is estimated that 857,781 Chileans live abroad, 50.1% of those being in Argentina, 13.3% in the United States, 4.9% in Sweden, and around 2% in Australia, with the rest being scattered in smaller numbers across the globe (including Spain). In the early 19th century and to California (when annexed by the US from Mexico) as a large source of miners in the 1850's gold rush.

Many pro-Allende refugees went to East Germany (such as current president Michelle Bachelet once lived there)^{[citation needed]}, Russia, China and Cuba; while anti-Pinochet refugees formed a large expatriate community in France, [West] Germany, Italy and the UK. ^{[citation needed]} Over 10,000 Chileans fleeing from both regimes settled in the US (a small number compared to other Hispanic/Latino groups) in the 1970s, a great number of them settled in Miami, Florida; but smaller Chilean enclaves are in Washington, DC; New York City; Beverly Hills, California; Long Beach, California; and San Francisco.

[edit] Indigenous communities

Those belonging to recognised indigenous communities (2002)
Alacalufe	2.622	0,02%	Mapuche	604.349	4,00%
Atacameño	21.015	0,14%	Quechua	6.175	0,04%
Aymara	48.501	0,32%	Rapanui	4.647	0,03%
Colla	3.198	0,02%	Yámana	1.685	0,01%

According to the 1992 Chilean census, a total of 10.5% of the total population declared themselves indigenous, irrespective of whether they currently practiced or spoke a native culture and language; almost one million people (9.7% of the total) declared themselves Mapuche, 0.6% declared to be Aymara, and a 0.2% reported as Rapanui, a native Polynesian people of Easter Island.[2]

At the 2002 census, only indigenous people that still practiced or spoke a native culture and language were surveyed: 4.6% of the population (692,192 people) fit that description; of these, 87.3% declared themselves Mapuche.[3]

[edit] Demographic data

[edit] Population

16,134,219 (April 2006 est.)

[edit] Age structure

0-14 years: 24.7% (male 2,035,278/female 1,944,754)

15-64 years: 67.1% (male 5,403,525/female 5,420,497)

65 years and over: 8.2% (male 555,075/female 775,090) (2006 est.)

[edit] Median age

Total: 30.4 years

Male: 29.5 years

Female: 31.4 years (2006 est.)

[edit] Population growth rate

0.94% (2006 est.)

[edit] Birth rate

15.23 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] Death rate

5.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] 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: 0.72 male(s)/female

Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

[edit] Infant mortality rate

Total: 8.58 deaths/1,000 live births

Male: 9.32 deaths/1,000 live births

Female: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

[edit] Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 76.77 years

Male: 73.49 years

Female: 80.21 years (2006 est.)

[edit] Total fertility rate

2 children born/woman (2006 est.)

[edit] HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2003 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 26,000 (2003 est.)

Deaths: 1,400 (2003 est.)

[edit] Nationality

Noun: Chilean(s)

Adjective: Chilean

[edit] Ethnic groups

Whites and Mestizo, in various degrees of admixture marked by a sociogenetic gradient (see above), over 90%; unmixed may be 3.7%.

In past Chilean census records, the exact rounding percentage was under constant revision. Reliable sources from magazines and academic material shows the variance, but may indicate less Chileans identified themselves "white" and more are "mestizos": Over half of the people are "European" in 1950 (National Geographic, February 1960, Chile); a third (30-35%) as "white" in 1960 (World Book Encyclopedia, 1970, Chile); about a quarter (20-25%) are "Spanish" in 1970 (The People's Almanac, 1975, Chile) and 40-45% as "mestizo" in terms of high degree of "Caucasian and American Indian" ancestries (National Geographic, July 1988, Chile).

Officially recognised Amerindian population as cited by and according to the current parameters of the Chilean National Institute of Statistics, 4.6%; other racial groups: Rapa Nui of Easter Island (2,500-but 10,000 live in the mainland), Asians like Japanese-Chileans, and Afro-Chileans, total percentage are under 1%.

[edit] Religions

Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Mormon 2%, Jewish NEGL under 1% (an estimated 25,000 Chilean Jews), Other religions: Islam, Eastern Orthodox, total percentage are under 1%.

[edit] Languages

Spanish (universal among the population). There are thousands of speakers of European languages in immigrant communities (esp. at Santiago) and native languages by the Mapuche.

[edit] Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 96.2%

Male: 96.4%

Female: 96.1% (2003 est.)

[edit] References

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
• Oro Negro: About the Afro-Chileans of the Arica valley