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Paraguay vs. Argentina

Demographics

ParaguayArgentina
Population7,272,639 (July 2021 est.)45,864,941 (July 2021 est.)
Age structure0-14 years: 23.41% (male 857,303/female 826,470)

15-24 years: 17.71% (male 640,400/female 633,525)

25-54 years: 42.63% (male 1,532,692/female 1,532,851)

55-64 years: 8.37% (male 306,100/female 295,890)

65 years and over: 7.88% (male 267,351/female 299,103) (2020 est.)
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.)
Median agetotal: 29.7 years

male: 29.5 years

female: 29.9 years (2020 est.)
total: 32.4 years

male: 31.1 years

female: 33.6 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate1.15% (2021 est.)0.84% (2021 est.)
Birth rate16.43 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)15.8 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate4.84 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)7.36 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)-0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
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.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 23.83 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 28.23 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
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 birthtotal population: 78.13 years

male: 75.46 years

female: 80.93 years (2021 est.)
total population: 78.07 years

male: 74.97 years

female: 81.36 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate1.89 children born/woman (2021 est.)2.2 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.3% (2020 est.)0.4% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Paraguayan(s)

adjective: Paraguayan
noun: Argentine(s)

adjective: Argentine
Ethnic groupsMestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%European (mostly Spanish and Italian descent) and Mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian ancestry) 97.2%, Amerindian 2.4%, African descent 0.4% (2010 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS19,000 (2020 est.)140,000 (2020 est.)
ReligionsRoman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 est.)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.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths<500 (2020 est.)1,400 (2020 est.)
LanguagesSpanish (official) and Guarani (official) 46.3%, only Guarani 34%, only Spanish 15.2%, other (includes Portuguese, German, other indigenous languages) 4.1% , no response 0.4%; note - data represent predominant household language (2012 est.)

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

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous (Mapudungun, Quechua)

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

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 94%

male: 94.5%

female: 93.5% (2018)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 98.9%

female: 99.1% (2018)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: intermediate (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever
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
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2010)
total: 18 years

male: 16 years

female: 19 years (2017)
Education expenditures3.4% of GDP (2016)5.5% of GDP (2017)
Urbanizationurban population: 62.5% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.64% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 92.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 0.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)
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.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 98.4% of population

rural: 84.8% of population

total: 93.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.6% of population

rural: 15.2% of population

total: 6.8% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 98.3% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban: 1.7% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population3.394 million ASUNCION (capital) (2021)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)
Maternal mortality rate84 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)39 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight1.3% (2016)1.7% (2018/19)
Health expenditures6.7% (2018)9.6% (2018)
Physicians density1.35 physicians/1,000 population (2018)3.99 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Hospital bed density0.8 beds/1,000 population (2016)5 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate20.3% (2016)28.3% (2016)
Demographic profile

Paraguay falls below the Latin American average in several socioeconomic categories, including immunization rates, potable water, sanitation, and secondary school enrollment, and has greater rates of income inequality and child and maternal mortality. Paraguay's poverty rate has declined in recent years but remains high, especially in rural areas, with more than a third of the population below the poverty line. However, the well-being of the poor in many regions has improved in terms of housing quality and access to clean water, telephone service, and electricity. The fertility rate continues to drop, declining sharply from an average 4.3 births per woman in the late 1990s to about 2 in 2013, as a result of the greater educational attainment of women, increased use of contraception, and a desire for smaller families among young women.

Paraguay is a country of emigration; it has not attracted large numbers of immigrants because of political instability, civil wars, years of dictatorship, and the greater appeal of neighboring countries. Paraguay first tried to encourage immigration in 1870 in order to rebound from the heavy death toll it suffered during the War of the Triple Alliance, but it received few European and Middle Eastern immigrants. In the 20th century, limited numbers of immigrants arrived from Lebanon, Japan, South Korea, and China, as well as Mennonites from Canada, Russia, and Mexico. Large flows of Brazilian immigrants have been arriving since the 1960s, mainly to work in agriculture. Paraguayans continue to emigrate to Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, the United States, Italy, Spain, and France.

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.

Contraceptive prevalence rate68.4% (2016)81.3% (2013)

note:  percent of women aged 14-49
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 55.5

youth dependency ratio: 49.9

elderly dependency ratio: 10.6

potential support ratio: 9.4 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 56.5

youth dependency ratio: 38.1

elderly dependency ratio: 17.7

potential support ratio: 5.6 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook