Demographics of Chile

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Chile is a relatively homogeneous country and most of its population is of predominantly European and Mestizo origin^[1][2][3], 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 middle and upper 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 and web links

[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, but is not uncommon to encounter unmixed European or with more than 3/4 of european ancestry. Socioeconomic barriers have protected some originary Chilean families of European ancestry (and also newer inmigrants) from getting mixed.

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 who 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 18th and 19th centuries, including British people (English, Scots and Irish), Italians, French, and Yugoslavians (i.e. Serbia and Croatia). The ratio of immigration to Chile is rather small, but has promoted population growth of urban areas in the long run.

Basque immigration was notably high to Chile from the first waves of colonials of Basque origin in the 1600s to the early 1800s, many were the country's shepherds and fishermen, for much of the history of the country this group has been overrepresented among the economic elite. Smaller numbers of Scandinavians (Danes and Swedes), Dutch, Austrians, Hungarians, Portuguese, Romanians, and Greeks also arrived in Chile.

In 1848 a 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. An estimated 7,000 came to settle lands opened by the Chilean government in order to populate the region.

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. The majority of Chilean presidents: Michelle Bachelet, Augusto Pinochet, Salvador Allende, Ricardo Lagos, Eduardo Frei, Arturo Alessandri Palma, Carlos Ibanez del Campo and Patricio Aylwin are of mostly European background.

Also worth mentioning are the sizable 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, but there was an increase of Chinese, Taiwanese and Middle East Armenian immigration to Chile since the 1990's.

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.

Chileans had historically went elsewhere like to Mexico in the early 19th century represented many livestock ranchers, and to California (when annexed by the US from Mexico) as a large source of miners in the 1850's gold rush. An account of Chilean miners in California are found in news reports on the "Chilean war" incident of 1849. Chilean miners also went to other gold rushes in Australia, South Africa, and Colorado, US and the Yukon territory in the late 19th century.^{[citation needed]}

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 (the highest number), 13.3% in the United States, 8.8% in Brazil, 4.9% in Sweden, and around 2% in Australia, with the rest being scattered in smaller numbers across the globe. Other Chilean refugees settled (not ranked by order of size) in Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain.

Many pro-Allende refugees in the 1970's went to East Germany (such as current president Michelle Bachelet had lived there and in Australia)^{[citation needed]}, Russia, China and Cuba; while anti-Pinochet refugees formed a large expatriate community in Europe and a smaller community in North America (the US and Canada). Augusto Pinochet happened to own a part-time residence in London, England, UK when he was arrested by Spanish agents for a human rights trial in 1998.^{[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 1970's and 1980's, the highest number settled in Miami, Florida; but smaller Chilean enclaves are in Washington, DC; New York City; and California (the Los Angeles area - Beverly Hills, California and 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 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 - under 1%.

[edit] Religions

Chile is a traditionally Catholic nation, with an estimated 70% of Chileans belonging to that church. According to Census data other declared denominations or groupings include: Protestant or evangelical (15.1%), Jehovah's Witnesses (1%), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons) (0.9%), Jewish (0.1%), Atheist or Agnostic (8.3%), and other (4.4%). Less than 0.1% are either Orthodox or Muslim. For the precise numbers of declared religions among the population ages 15 and over as indicated by the results of the latest census, see source *2002 Census data [4]

The LDS web site reports it has 539,193 members in Chile which includes children age eight or older. This figure represents 3.43% of the total population, making it the single largest non-Catholic denomination in Chile.

[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 and web links

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
• Afro-Chileans, Oro Negro, who we are