Taylor & Francis, Ltd. and Population Investigation Committee are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Population Studies.http://www.jstor.orgPopulation Investigation CommitteeThe Demography of Chile Author(s): Octavio Cabello Source:Population Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Mar., 1956), pp. 237-250Published by: on behalf of theTaylor & Francis, Ltd. Population Investigation CommitteeStable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/2172142Accessed: 02-07-2015 23:08 UTCYour use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jspJSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsThe Demographyof Chile ByOcTAVIOCABELLO INTRODUCTION Chileis a countrywhich,althoughundeveloped,possessessatisfactorydemo- graphicstatistics,whicharenot,however,whollyaccurate. It is admittedthatthe censusesmayshowerrorsamountingto 5%, thatapproximately 5 % oflivebirths are not registered,and thatabout I % of thedeathsmayescaperegistration.The methodsby whichtheseestimatesof errorhave been computedare describedin thereportoftheChileanSeminaron PopulationStatistics',andin othertechnical publications. As censusesof populationwere takenin I920,I930,I940and 1952,and as mortalitystatisticshave been publishedsystematicallyfor the same period,it was possibleto check the populationand vital statisticsagainsteach other. The methodswhichhavebeenusedforthischeckhavebeendescribedelsewhere.2 The studentof Chileandemographyis oftensurprisedby apparentcontra- dictions. The climateis moderate,rangingfromsemi-tropicalin the northto cold in Magallanes;thepopulationis raciallyhomogeneous,Europeanwaysof lifepredominate,and a publichealthserviceexistscoveringthe whole of the countryand over 8o% of the population. Healthand educationfacilitiesare betterthan in most Latin-Americancountries. But in spite of thesefactors Chile continuesto show one of the highestinfantmortalityrates,thoughin recentyearstheexpectationof lifeat birthhas beenover 50years. Thereare no Negroesin Chile,and comparativelyfewtrueIndians. The I952 Census showed an Indian populationof only I27,I5I,a figurewhichis still declining. The numberof foreigners(thoseborn outsidethe country)is also verysmall(80,200according to the I952Census),reflectingthe slightvolume of immigration. The racialhomogeneityof theChileanpopulationis determinedby itshistory. The handfulof Spaniardswho arrivedin 1542found that the countrywas inhabitedby peopleswho werefiercelyindependentand warlikein theextreme. A bitterwar of extermination,whichwas to lastforsomethreeand a halfcen- turiesthenbrokeout betweenthe Europeansand the Indians,or moreexactly betweenthe Spaniardsand the Araucans; the Araucanterritory(the modern provincesof Arauco,Bio-Bio,Mallecoand Cautin,whichevento-daygo under thenameof " The Frontier") was not finallypacifieduntilabouttheyearI 883. This bitterresistancebytheAraucansthereforeled to thedistinctdevelopment of two peoples. Whatamalgamationtherewas, was due to forceexceptin the caseofthosepeoples(andtheywerefew)who had surrenderedto theconquerors. 1 FirstNational Seminaron Population Statistics,held in Santiago from24thMay to ist July,I954, underthe auspices of the Inter-AmericanBiostatisticsCentreand of the National Statisticsand Censuses Service,FinalReport,DocumentCIB: I054:20:86. 2" Tablas de Vida para Chile-1i2o-i930-I940 ", by Octavio Cabello, JerjesVild6sola and Marta Latorre,RevistaChilenade Higieney MedicinaPreventiva,vol. vIII-no.3, Sept. I946and vol. ix-No.2 JuneI947. 237 This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions238OCTAVIOCABELLO As regardsthe negro element,severalthousandsof Africansenteredthe countryduringthe colonial period,and at the startof independence,in i8I3, therewereaboutI 5,ooo.Buttheyfoundtheclimateinhospitableanddisappeared; manymigratedto Peru,otherswereabsorbedin thenativeand mixedpopulation. It is hardto explaintheirdisappearance.The povertyof Chile,whichmadeit difficultto buy slavesfordomesticduties; the climate,whichwas excessively harshfortheNegroes; and theabolitionof slaveryin I823, mayall haveplayed a part.ManyNegroes,moreover,enrolledin theexpeditionaryforcewhichwent to liberatePeruin i82o, and did not return.Theyprobablyformless thanI% of the population',and any racialcharacteristicswhichtheymightat one time havebroughtwiththemhave to-dayvanished. Europeanimmigrants,otherthan Spaniards,have had littleinfluencefrom the ethnicpointof view,but have lefttheirmarkin manyimportantwayson theeconomicand social structureof thosedistrictsto whose developmentthey contributed. " Foreigners " werenotadmittedduringthe colonialperiod,butimmigration was encouragedas soon as independencewas attained,so thatduringthesecond halfof thelast centurysome35,000Europeanssettledin thesouthernprovinces. AmongthemwereSpaniards,Italians,Germans,French,Swiss,English,Russians, Austrians,Belgiansand people of othernationalities.Towardsthe end of the last centuryArabs,and especiallySyrians,began to arrive,and this flowhas beenmaintainedin thepresentcentury. Very recently,and as aconsequenceof European politicaltension,there have been furtherarrivalsin the country: Spanishrefugeescomingafterthe collapseof the Republic; displacedpersonsof the last WorldWar,especially Jews; and purelyvoluntaryimmigrants.The numberof thosearrivingbetween I948 and I95o has beenputat 25,000,amongwhomItalians,Spaniards,Germans, Yugoslavs and NorthAmericanspredominate.As maybe judged fromthese figures,thenumericalcontributionof theimmigrantsto populationgrowthhas not been important.In no censustakenin thiscenturydid the proportionof foreignersexceed3 %. Nevertheless,the Germanshave lefta deep impression on the culturallifeof the southernprovinces,and the influenceof the English coloniesin Valparaiso,Iquique and Antofagastahas been most importantin the creationof theeconomicoutlookof thoseports. GROWTHOFPOPULATION In the census of z4th April, I952, 5,930,909inhabitantswere enumerated,but Chileanexpertsmeetingat the NationalSeminaron PopulationStatisticsmen- tionedabove,estimatedthatsome z8o,ooopeople,or 4*5%, of thepopulation, had notbeencounted. Takingthisintoaccount,it is estimatedthatthepopula- tionofthecountry,on 3IstDecember,I954,was of theorderof 6,soo,oooinhabi- tants. The growthfromi,ooo,ooo inhabitantsin i835 to 6,500,000in I955 is due almostentirelyto naturalincrease,forunlikeArgentina,Brazilor theU.S.A., Chilehas not experiencedlargescale immigration. I GeografiaEcondmicade Chile,vol. ii,Corporaci6nde Fomento de la Producci6n,Santiago de Chile, 1950. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsTHEDEMOGRAPHYOFCHILE239 As is shownin Table i,theannualrateof growthof thepopulationhas risen fromI i*9perthousandin theperiod1885-95 to I75per thousandin I940-52. This accelerationin therateof growthis chieflydue to a declinein the death rate,a factorwhich is describedin greaterdetail below. The birthrate has remainedalmost constant,whilethedeathratehas fallen,slowlyat firstand veryrapidlysince 1949. The fallin thedeathrate,whichmaybe expectedto continuein theimmediate future,will lead to a continuationof populationgrowth. Table i.GrowthofPopulationin Chile I88 5- 9 52 PopulationAnnual Rate of Datein ooo*Growth(per thousand) 26 Nov. I885............2,492 28Nov., I895............2,804II9 28Nov. I907............3,229ii*8 I5 Dec. I920............3,842I3.I 3o Nov. I930............ 4,391I3.7 3o Nov. I940............5,094 I5.0 24 AprilI952..........6,207I75 3o June, I955.........6,56ot * Based on officialcensus results,correctedfor underenumeration.Cf. First National Seminar on Population Statistics. CentroInteramericanode Bioestadistica,pp. 39-45. t Estimatebased on rateof growth from I940to I952. The growthofpopulationhas notbeenuniformoverthecountry.Citieshave increasedin importance.Santiagoin I885contained73 5% of the country's population; to-daythe figureis 22z 7%.The miningprovincesof the north havegrownerratically,dependingon thefluctuationsin thedemandfornitrates, copperandotherminerals.The populationofthesouthernagriculturalprovinces, Cautin and Llanquihue,has grown considerablyas aresultof apolicy of colonisation; on the otherhand,the agriculturalprovincesof the centrehave been growingexclusivelyby naturalincreaseand have formeda reservoirfrom whichyoungpeoplemigrate to the larger cities. Populationdensityvariesa greatdeal in differentpartsof thecountry,as may be seenfromthefiguresof Table z.The densityis leastat thetwo extremesof the country,but attainsproportionscomparablewiththoseof some European countriesin theprovincesof Santiago,Valparaisoand Concepcion. URBANAND RURALPOPULATION In Chile 6o% of the populationlive in communitieswithmorethan I,OOO inhabitants(see Table 3), and S3% in towns of more than 5,000. In LatinAmerica,onlyUruguayand Argentinahave comparableproportions livingin towns. In othercountriesofthistypea higherproportionofinhabitants live in ruralareas. Relatedto this relativelyhighdegreeof urbanisationis the factthatin Chile 58% of thehouseholdshave a pipedsupplyof drinkingwater, while36% are connectedto the sewagesystem, These figuresmayseemlow by some Europeanstandards,but theyare highcomparedwiththoseof the other Latin-Americancountries. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions240OCTAVIOCABELLO Table 2.Populationdensityin differentprovincesof Chile,April 1952 Inhabitants ProvincePopulationArea in Sq. Kms.per Sq. Kms. Chile.........5,930,80974I,767 8-o Tarapac....I02,78955,287I9 Antofagasta......I84,779I23,o63I.5 Atacama ......80,I5479,883 IJ0 Coquimbo......262,o6739,889 66 Aconcagua......I28,378I0,204I26 Valparaiso .........498,I864,8I8I03-4 Santiago .......I,752,773I7,422ioo06 O'Higgins.........224,6377,II23I.6 Colchagua......I39,53I8,43Ii6.5 Curic6.........89,39I5,737I5.6 Talca.........I73,7939,640i8-o Maule.........72,I8I5,626I28 Linares1...I46,2579,820I49 Nuble.........25I,607I4,2III7.7 Concepci6n ......4II,5595,70I72.2 Arauco.........72,2895,756I2p6 Bio-Bio.........I38,4IIII,248I2.3 Maleco......-I59,486I4,277 IIl2 Cautin.........365,072I7,3702I0O Valdivia.........232,64720,934IItI Osorno.........I23,0599,o83I3.5 Llanquihue......I39,922I8,4077.6 Chioe.........I00,40I23,44643 Aysen ......26,26288,984O'3 Magalanes......55,09II35,4I8O04 Antirtica......87 Source:XIICenso Generalde Poblacidnylo. de Vivienda(Cuadro No.5)-Servicio Nacional de Estadisticay Censos de ChileI95 3.Mimeo. It is worthmentioningthe special importancenow being assumedby the cityof Concepcion,and its nearbyportof Talcahuano,sincethe metallurgical plantof Huachipatoand manyotherindustrieswere establishedthere. Under Table 3.Distributionoftheurbanand ruralpopulationbysex, April I952 Proportionof Women per TotalMenWomenI,000 Population Chile .........5,930,8092,9II,I293,0o9,680509 Urban......3,544,280i,647,862I,896,418535 Rural .........2,386,529I,263,267I,I23,26247I % Urban......59856662z8 Source:XIICensoGeneralde Poblacidny lo. de Vivienda(Cuadro No.5)-Servicio Nacional de Estadisticay Censos de Chile-I953.Mimeo. the influenceof the growthof thisurbancentrethe nearbyagriculturalareas are developingwithequal speed,and theirgrowthis moreoverbeingencouraged by a co-operativeplan (calledthe" Plan Chilldn") fortechnicalaid in agriculture andhealthwhichextendsto thethreeprovincesadjacentto thecityof Concepcion: Maule,Nuble and Concepcion. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsTHEDEMOGRAPHYOFCHILE24I The smallercities,in contrast,followthefluctuationsofprosperityand depres- sionof theagriculturalor miningareasin whichtheyare situated. STRUCTUREOFTHEPOPULATION,BY AGEANDSEX The 1952 Censusshowsthatin Chilemalesoutnumberfemalesundertheage of 10, butthatabove thisage thereverseis true. Table4.Estimatedpopulationof Chile by sex and age groups,3oth June 1952 Women per AgesTotalMenWomenI,000Population Under Iyear...I84,77It93,42It9I,350t494 I-4years......667,478339,0I7328,46 I492 5-9 ,,...... 854,76843I,595423,I73495 I0-I4,,......697,303344,309352,9945o6 I5-I9,,*-595,255289,484305,77I514 20-24,,554,86325 8,863296,ooo 5 3 3 25-29,,*-459,599207,98525I,614547 30-34 ,,...... 404,263I93,884210,379520 35-39 ,, - 404,I46 i86,8862I7,260538 40-44 ,,. ..334,095I 68,472I 65,623496 45-49,, 276,68II 36,27II40,4I0507 50-54,,......236,25II I4,909I2I,342514 55-59*--* i63,43978,39585,044520 60-64,,...I48,34667,34780,999546 65 and over246,oI 5i io,8o6I 35,2095 50 Total.........6,227,273*3,02I,6443,205,629 5I5T * The total populationwas calculated by assuminga continuanceof the rate of increase given by the correctedfiguresfor I940to I952.This was thendistributedamong the age and sex groups in the proportiongiven by a 2%sample of the I952Census.Persons of unknownage were distributed rateablyamong the populationaged iand over. t Calculated by subtractingfromthe figuresof I 952live births,73 %of the deaths under one year of age, registeredin the same year. i: This ratio,which has been obtainedfroma 2 % sample of the census, is differentfromthat given by the populationas a whole (see Table 3). The proportionof femalesper i,ooo populationincreaseswithage up to a maximumof 550 amongthoseover 65 years,theaverageforall ages being 5I5 womento every485 men. This predominanceof womenis usuallyattributed to thelowerfemaledeathrate,butit is possiblethatwomenaremorecompletely enumeratedthanmenat censuses. This seemsto be chieflytruein thegroups aged from20 to 29,wherethepreponderanceof womenis verynoticeable. The disproportionof the sexes is accentuatedin certain provinceson accountof specialconditionsof life. It will be readilyunderstoodthatin miningareasthe male elementpredominates.In Antofagastafor example,466 per i,ooo of the populationare women. In the agriculturalprovinces,on the otherhand,there are morewomenthanmen,as men tendto leave theseprovincesmoreeasily. The greatestdisproportionoccursin the provinceof Chiloe,where 554 per I,000 of thepopulationare women. These differencesare stillmoremarkedin the workingage groups. In the sameprovinceof Chiloe,forinstance,in the20-24age group,theproportionof womenis as highas 592, but the position is reversedin Antofagasta,wherein thesameage group6I 5 menare recorded per i,ooo of the population, This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions242OCTAVIOCABELLO In thecountryas a wholewomenpredominatein thecities,so thatthereare morementhanwomenin theruralareas(see Table 3).This maybe explained bytheconcentrationofa largepartofthemaleworkingpopulationin themining centres,on theone hand,and by theemigrationof womenfromtheagricultural areas of the CentralValleyto theurbancentreson theother. Moreover,men migratein greaternumbersfromone ruralarea to another,whilewomenmove forthe mostpartfromagriculturalregionsto cities. This disproportionmay providea partialexplanationforthe relativelylow birthand marriagerateof ChilecomparedwithotherLatin-Americancountries. If populationswere to be classifiedas young,intermediateand old, Chile would have to be placedwiththosecountrieswhichstandon the dividingline betweenthe firstand second categories. 48-2%of the populationare aged less than zo, a lower proportionthan thatfoundin Brazil, Colombia,Peru, Venezuela,Mexico and, in general,in all Latin-Americancountriesexcept Argentina(40-8%in I947).It is possiblethattheproportionof thepopulation aged less thanzo maybe lowerin Uruguay,butthestatisticsare not sufficiently accurateto reachdefiniteconclusionson thispoint. Personsover 6o yearsof age represent6 3% of the population,a higherproportionthan that of the countriesmentionedabove,againexceptforArgentinaandperhapsalso Uruguay. The populationof Chilehas, then,been growingveryslowlyolderas a conse- quenceof a steadyrelativefallin thedeathrate. Table 5.Age distributionofthepopulationofChile,1920-52 Age1920*1930*1940*1952** Iig years...49 448 747.548.2 20-59,,......44 845746-7455 6o and over *3......S . 8S -6. 86. 3 Total100... ...101000100o0100o0 * "Tablasde Vida para Chile-I920-30-40",op. ct. **This distributionwas obtainedfroma 2%sample of the census population. CIVILSTATUS Of the Chileanpopulationaged over I5 in I952,38 8% weresingle, 49z % married,7 2%widowed, iz % separated,' o- i %persons whose marriagehad been annulled,and 3 .5% lived in irregularunions. It is not easy to interpret theimplicationsoftheseproportions.Naturally,itis desirablethatthepopulation should live in legallyconstitutedfamilies,and the proportionof " married persons" appearslow.The proportionsinglerecordedin Chileis nevertheless lower than that registered in the majority of Latin-Americancountriesand, as maybe deducedfromthe data providedin the UnitedNationsDemographic YearbookfortheyearI949-50,considerablylowerthanthatrecordedforVene- zuela, for example, where 71 .6%of the men and 68 3% of the women over I5 yearsdeclaredthemselves,in I941,to be single. However,the proportion 1 In Chile divorcedoes not exist,but thereis judicialseparation-whichdoes not dissolvethe marriage bond. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsTHEDEMOGRAPHYOFCHILE243 of singlepersonsin Chile is higherthanthatof the UnitedStates,wherethe percentagesin I940were 33 z% and 285% formen and womenrespectively. Data fromsuccessivecensusesshowthattheproportionofever-marriedpersons has increased. Thus in theage group30-34,64 - I %of themenand 69 . 5 % of thewomenhadbeenmarriedin I930;in I952thefigureswere69.4%and74.6% respectively.This tendencyis corroboratedby the marriagestatistics,which show an increasein themarriageratefrom6 i6 per i,ooo inhabitantsin I920to 8 .4 in 1953,witha suddenrisein theyearsI928-30,thecause of whichmaybe tracedto a civil registrationcampaignwhichadvocatedthe legal constitution of the family. Therewas also an irtegularbut persistentincreasein the years 1932-53,The rapidincreaserecordedsinceI 952mustbe relatedto theextension ofthe" familyallowance" to theworkers,1whichmayindirectlyhaveencouraged thelegalisationof irregularunions. EDUCATION The finalfiguresunderthisheadingfromtheI952Censusarenotyetavailable, but preliminaryresultsshow thatobviousprogressis beingmadein thisfield, fortheproportionofilliteratesamongthoseaged overio yearshas beenreduced to i9 .6%.The figuresin Table 6 showa declinein illiteracyfromone generation to thenext,in bothurbanand ruralareasand equallyamongmenand women. Table 6.Illiteratepersons,as a percentageofthepopulationagedI o andover,I952 TotalUrbanRural TotalMenWomenMenWomenMenWomen 10 and over...I926i8-i20.975II g32938-o IO-I4......i80oI8.7I7.37.26.632-2 3P9 I5-I9......I42 I5.5I3.I 47 6.628-0 24.4 20-24... .. 4.II3.7I4.5 5 8-o 26.429.4 25-29 ... ... I5.6I4.4i6-5554 9e0 29.0325 30-34*-..I6.7 I5.2 I8-26-29530637'0 35-39.. .. i8-I I6.4I956.3I0e93 I9380o 40-49 ......2I-6I8.424-975I3.934I46.o 50 and over...3IV727.I35-8I3.924.443.5572 Source:" ResultadosPreliminaresdel Censo(I20 de Poblaci6n y I 0 de Vivienda)".Servicio Nacional de Estadistica y Censos.Octubre, I954. Thereare slightlymoreilliteratewomenthanthereare men,but in the age group io-i9thereare fewerilliteratewomen than men,whichindicatesthe greaterattentionnow given to the educationof women,particularlyin rural areas. OCCUPATIONOF THEPOPULATION Accordingto the1952Census,28% of theworkingpopulationof Chilewere employedin agriculture,fishingor hunting. This proportionis low compared withthatof otherLatin-American countries; 24%of the workingpopulation are employedin industry,and 39% in services(professions,business,etc.). 1 The extensionof wage benefitsor of familyallowance (an additionalpaymentforwifeand children) to all workers,which was laid down by the Decree Law No.245, 3ist July,I953, stipulatesthat the marriedcouple and theirchildrenmustbe enteredon the Civil Registerbeforethesebenefitscan become effective. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions244OCTAVIOCABELLO The proportionof the populationin servicesand industryis high compared withthatof otherLatin-Americancountries.It shouldalso be notedthatChile has a highproportionof womenat workin industryand services. BIRTHRATE The present-daybirthrateis 33 per i,ooo inhabitants.BetweenI920and 1930 the rateremainedabove 40;between1930and I940it droppedslowlyuntil it reachedthepresentlevel. Accordingto the officialstatistics,the birthrateappearsto have fluctuated greatly,but thesefluctuationsare producedalmostentirelyby thedifferencesin themethodof collectingthestatistics.In fact,before 1951 figuresforlivebirths in a givencalendaryearwerebasedon entriesmadein theCivilRegister.It was onlyin 1952thatbirthsweretabulatedby yearof occurrenceratherthanby date of registration.An estimateofthetruetrendin thebirthrateis givenin " Tablas de Vida para Chile-192o-30-40." ComparedwithotherLatin-Americancountries,Chile has a low birthrate, but it is higherthanthatrecordedin theUnitedStatesand in WesternEurope. Many of the birthsare illegitimate;in 1952,for example,the proportionqf illegitimatebirthsreachedi9%.This percentageis low in comparisonwith I920,whensome 38% of birthswereillegitimate.The reductionin illegitimacy is in keepingwiththeincreasein themarriagerateand is probablyrelatedto the introductionof familyallowances,whichhave beenin forcein Chilesince1937 and havebeengraduallyextendedso as to includethewholeworkingclasssince '953. The fertilityrateper Ix,ooowomenaged i 0-49was i o6 .0in 1952,a figure whichis lowerthanin otherLatin-Americancountries,exceptArgentina.The highestfertilityis recordedat ages 25-29. Table 7.Fertilitybyage of mother. Age-specificfertilityrates. Live birthsper I,000 womenofgivenage Chile*Franceftu.s.A.tSpaint Age of MotherI952I95II950I940 IO-I4...I4 00*O9OOt I5-I9 ... 69923-079.4 8 6t 20-24...I99I I540I93 6897t 25-29...20I*8I68*3I63*3I853t 30-34...I72*0I209 IOI3 I6622t 35-39*..II6&763.I5I*2I09 5t 40-44...62I22.5I4545?t 45 and overi6*620I * I8 * 2t Total ?...io6-o70-980.375.6 * ServicioNacional de Estadisticay Censos-Chile. t U.N. DemographicYearbook,1953. t Excluding live born children,dying withinthe first24 hours of life. ? Per i,ooo women aged IO-49. It is clearthatin Chilewomenstartto have childrenratherlaterthanin other Latin-Americancountries, thatat intermediateages (20-39 years)theirfertility This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsTHEDEMOGRAPHYOFCHILE245 is comparable,andthatat olderagestheyhavefewerchildrenthanin otherLatin- Americancountries.Chileanwomenhave fewerchildrenat ages I 5-19thando NorthAmericanwomen,but theirfertilityat ages z5 and overis higher. If we comparethe rateswith those of Franceand Spain, age-specificfertilityrates are higheramongtheChileanfemalepopulationat all ages,thedifferencesbeing mostmarkedat each end of thereproductiveperiod. It shouldbe mentionedthatbirthsto womenwithI0or morechildrenhave decreasedconsiderablyin the last I 5 years,but as the birthratehas remained constantduringthis period,the only possibleinterpretationis thata greater proportionof womennow have a smallernumberof childreneach thanin the past. Sincethereis no officialdisseminationof knowledgerelatingto contraception, thereis a veryhighrateof abortions.More than30,000abortionsare recorded annuallyin thehospitalsalone,and thetruefiguresforpregnanciesinterrupted in thisway mustbe muchlarger. Special studiesshow thata greatmanyof theseabortionsare induced.1 MORTALITY The mostsignificantfactin Chileandemographyis probablythe fallin the deathrateoverthe last30years.Thisrate,whichstoodat 30.5per x,ooo inhabitantsin I920,fellto a minimumofI2.4in 1953. Similardeclineshave, of course,been observedin manycountrieswithpre- viouslyhigh deathrates,especiallyin Latin America.When the trendof the deathratesince I920is studied,two periodsof declineare noticeable: one in I920-3Iandtheotherin I939-53.Thefirstfallis attributedbyRomeroandhis co-workers2to the effectivecontrolof certaininfectiousdiseases (influenza, smallpox,typhoid,etc.) whichin I920constitutedsome of the majorcausesof death,andwhichwereeliminatedduringthefollowingdecadethroughtheaction of thepublichealthauthorities,or whichdiminishedveryconsiderablythrough indirectcauses. The fallbetween1931-39is veryslight.The appreciablefall recordedbetween1939and1953maybe attributedto twomaincauses. Thefirst is theappearanceof newdrugs(sulphonamides,penicillin,and otherantibiotics), the use of whichbegan to spreadin Chile duringthisperiod.3 The secondis the fallin the deathratefromtuberculosis,a world-widephenomenonwhich has affectedChilealso.Justas in the UnitedStates,the deathrateforpersons aged 50andoverfellalso in Chile. In Chile,unlikeothercountries,the fallin the deathratehas not primarily affectedthe youngestage groups. In fact,the fallin the infantmortalityrate, thoughappreciable,has been proportionatelyslowerthan the declinein the deathratefortheage groupsI to 50. In spiteofthemedicaland healthservices, morethanioo babiesaged less thana yeardie foreveryi,ooo live births(i086 in I953). 1 Romero et al., " MortalidadInfantily del primerquinquenio", Rev. Chilenade Higieney Medicina Preventiva.Vol. xiv-No.4, Dec.I952,pp.2I3-I8. 2 Romero, H. et al., " EnfermedadesInfecciosas",PrevisionSocial-Ministryof Health and Social Welfare,Vol. xiv-July, August, Sept., I947,No.69, pp. 244-26I. 3 Moroder, J. et al., " Neumonia y Sulfadrogas",RevistaChilenade Higieney MedicinaPreventiva, vol.VII-no.3, Sept. I945,pp.2II-33. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions246OCTAVIOCABELLO If we divideinfantmortalityinto neo-nataldeathsand thosedyingbetween the ages of i-iImonths,the reductionof infantmortalityin Chilehas chiefly benefitedthefirstgroup(thoseaged less thana month). A similarphenomenon was observedin WesternEurope and Japan,at timeswhentheseareashad an infantmortalityrateas high as Chile's. This would seemto indicatethatthe effectof bettermedicalattentionduringpregnancyand at birthhas beengreater thanthatof healtheducation,and greaterthantheeffectof theimprovementin generallyprevailinghealthconditions. The taskof analysingcausesof deathin Chileis a difficultone. 67% of deaths are certifiedby doctors,but certificationis inadequateand cannotserveas a satisfactorybasis for statisticalclassification.The creationof a new medical certificateofdeathin I95 53 andtheworkofinstructionundertakenamongdoctors by the School of Public Health,and also among studentsby the School of Medicine,should contributeto an improvementin this state of affairs.But meanwhileonlydefectivestatisticsare available. Despite the inadequacyof the data on the causes of death,a comparisonof Chileanfigureswiththoseof othercountriesrevealscertainsubstantialdiffer- ences.1 While in the majorityof Latin-Americancountriesdigestivediseases occupythefirst,or one of thefirstplacesamongthechiefcausesof death,this causeis in theninthplacein Chile. Table 8.Princpal causesofdeath-Chile I95 z.*Numberofdeathsas a percentageof all deaths,ratesper IOO,OOO inhabitantsandpercentage certified bymedicalpractitioners Percentage PercentageofRate percertifiedby Cause of deathNo. oftotalIOO,ooomedical deathsdeathsinhabitantspractitioners i.Respiratorydiseases...I4,028I7I225-348.5 2.Diseases of infancy...I0,894I3'3I75-048.5 3. Heartdiseases ......8,o649 8I29579 9 4.Tuberculosis6,7968-3 I09*I8o09 5.Old-ageandill-defined causes.........5,4876-788 i46 o 6. Malignant tumours5,2826-484.8 84.5 7. Accidents...4,346 5 369 8- 8.Vascular lesions ofthe nervoussystem3,2053 9 5I.5 88 i 9.Diseases of the digestive system.........3,o633'749-264-o IO.Infectiousdiseases except tuberculosis...2,5483.I 40?9 70'5 i i.Othercauses...I8,253 22.3 293 IgI*8 All causes....8..... 8I ,966000*OI3I6z67.2 * Source: ServicioNacionalde Estadisticay Censos-Chile. Malaria,a veryseriousproblemin manycountries,does not existin Chile. Infectiousand parasiticdiseaseshave droppedfromfirstto tenthplace. On the otherhand,tuberculosis,in spiteof a decline,is stillmoreimportantas a cause 1 Romero H. and Cabello 0., " Demografiade Am6ricaLatina ", Boletinde la OficinaSanitariaPana- mericana-afno28, no. 9, Sept. I949, pp. 888-905. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsTHEDEMOGRAPHYOFCHILE247 of death in Chile than in most other Latin American countries. Tuberculosis death ratesare relatedto the degree of concentrationof the population in towns, but even so, the rate is higherin Chile thanin Argentinaor Uruguay.The slow ageing of the Chilean population has resultedin a relativeincreasein the impor- tance of cancer as a cause of death.The death rate fromaccidentshas also gone up considerably,and this cause is to-day a more importantone than all the in- fectiousand parasiticdiseases (except tuberculosis)together. The death rateis lower forwomen thanformen, thisdifferencebeing observed equally among single, marriedand widowed persons.Only between the ages of 25-29do marriedwomen have a greaterrisk of death than marriedmen of the same age.Marriedpersons have the lowest death rate in each sex-age group, while the single aged over 35 have the highestrate;the widowed aged 3 5 have a higherdeath ratethan singleand marriedpeople of both sexes.It is interesting Table 9.*Mortalitydifferencesbetweenmalesandfemalesforselectedcauses,Chile I95 2. (Sex-specific deathratesper IOO,OOO inhabitants) RateperIoo,ooomenor womenMale Excess Cause of deathMortality MenWomen I.Accidents...............II9*223.I+96*I 2.Diseasesof infancy....... I97.II54 I +43 . o 3.Diseasesof respiratory system......238 . 72Iz26+26*I 4.Tuberculosis............II7*IIOI*6+I55 5. Cirrhosis of the liver..... 2I.4 9. 6+II*8 6.Heart diseases............I 349I 24.4+IO'5 7.Ulcer of the stomach and duodenum...5 . 82*I+ 3*7 8.SyphilisV...............5 . 629+2*7 9.Malignant tumour.........82.786- 8 -4. I io.Maternalmortality......220-22.0 II.Othercauses.........5038473'3+305 Alcauses...............I426 *3I2I2*5+2I3*8 * Source:Servicio Nacional de Estadisticay Censos-Chile to note that thereis a very high death rate among young widowers and young widows (aged under 35), which would suggest that some selectivefactorexists. Nodoubt there are economic and social factors which play some part in producingthe differencebetween the death rates of single and married. On the one hand, those persons " living together " (irregularunions) are counted with the single; according to the I 9 52Census theyrepresent3 * 5% of the population aged over I 5, forminga group with low economic and social statuswitha higher death rate.On the other hand, the group of single must include those who for reasons of health, or through having an inadequate physical constitution,have been unable to marry. The defectiveChileanstatisticson causes of death show thatthemain differences betweenmale and femalemortalitycan be grouped under eight specificheadings. Accidents show the chief difference,then diseases of early childhood, respira- torydiseases, tuberculosis,cirrhosis,etc., all of which show an excess mortality among men. E This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions248OCTAVIOCABELLO EXPECTATIONOFLIFE As a resultof the fall in the death rate,the expectationof life has risen by zo years in the period of 1920-52,and is at the moment 5I 4 years.Expectation of life has increased at all ages, though the rise has been greatestamong the youngestgroups, both absolutelyand proportionately. Table io.Expectationoflife. Bothsexes. ChileI920-52 AgeI920* I930*I940*I952t 0 ... ...... .3I.5 40-64I*85 I.4 o Males.........30.939- 540749- 8 Females.........3224I*84I*I539 5 ...... ...... 44'752-052.757'2 I0..........4I3 47 9486 5330 I5 ............ 37 343 744 3485 20............34-040I40-6 44 3 30............ 28.333.634 I 36.4 40............22.927-027.228-6 50.........I7.620.520.52I*2 6o............I22I44I444I4*4 70............ 7.69'39'38.7 8o............4'95 76-o6-o 90..........333*73*93.6 * "Tablasde Vida para Chile-I92o-4o."Op. at. t "Tablaabreviadade vida para I 952,"por Albino Bocaz.EstadistciaChilena-ServicioNacional de Estadistica-Chile.Afio XXVII,Nos. 5-6,Mayo-junio I954,pp. I55-i6o. Theexpectation of life of persons aged over 70appears to have declined between I940and 1952.It has been suggested that new methods of treatment introducedduringthisperiod have prolonged the lives of the sick fora few years, so thatmorepeople die at older ages.However, both the census and the mortality statisticsare unreliable,and too muchattentionshould not be paid to thisapparent fall. The expectationof life at birthof women in Chile is higherthan that of men, and the differencehas increasedduringthe period under discussion.The lower death rate for women explains the ratio of I04femalesper I00males which the latestcensus showed. SUMMARY In the lightof the informationset out above, it may be statedthatChile is now in the middle phase of the cycle of demographicevolution typicalof countries with a Westernculture. 48%of her 6,500,000 inhabitantsare aged less than 20 and 6%are older than 6o.Thepopulation is racially homogeneous;there are no Negroes, and the aborigines now amount only to I27,000.53% of the population live in towns having more than 5,000inhabitants. 8i%of those aged over iocan read and write.z8%of the working population work in agriculturalor in relatedoccupations, 24%in industryand 39% in business and other services.Thedeath rate is declining rapidly,and has reached the low figure of 12 .4 deaths to every i,ooo inhabitants; the birthrate remainssteady at 33 live birthsto every i,ooo inhabitants. The rateof growthof the population is increasing,being at the moment I .7 %each year.The expectation of life at birthwas 5I.4 years in 1 95 2for the population as a whole. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsTHEDEMOGRAPHYOFCHILE249 Table A.Trendsin birth,deathandmarriagerates,Chile1920-53.Ratesper i,ooo inhabitants YearMarriagesBirthsDeathsYearMarriagesBirthsDeaths I920...6-64I1230.5 I937 ...7935 ? 22.7 I921 ...41-432.2I938 ...7.6348 23.I 1922... 6.4 422 27.8 939 ...g9o36-222.9 I923...6.544-632-0I940 ...8.336.42I.3 I924...7.042.428.4 I94I ...8-235-4I9-5 I925... 7.I41'626.7 I942 ...8.335'9I9-9 I926 ... 7341626-2 1943 ..8-i 357I9-4 1927 ...7741725.21944...8-o356 I9g0 I928 ...1V242'424-01945 ... 7.735'7I9-4 1929...9.842-15'6I946...7.634-6I6.7 I930... 9.042I24.I I947 ...7936-II6:z I931... 6-6 40?7 2I51948 ...8o360oi6-8 I932... 6.440'722-21949 ...7.8355 I7.5 I933...6.5 39'826-o I950 ...7.634-6I5.2 1934...6*39'225.7I95I ... 75345I5.2 I935...6-938-I 23'9I952 ...7.8 33'0I3.2 1936 7.7.2 36'624-0 I953 ...8-434-6I2.4 Table B.Mortalityby age, Chile 1920-30-40-52.Age specific ratesper i,ooo inhabitants I9201930I9401952* Age(19I9-22)(1929-32)(1939-42) Under i......256-4t208.3t197-It129.2* I-4.........44'329-I27-4II-2 5-9. ... ...894'339I-8 I0-I4...573' 535I.7 15-I9...... 9.67-06*53-0 20-24... I3.69'59tI4'4 25-29 ...... I4-59*79.34*7 30-34...i6.5 Io-89.85.6 35-39......I9v2II.5I0o96-2 40-44......2I-6I3-6I2-68-I 45-49......25.8i6-614'910-2 50-54......26.4I9.219-313'9 55-59....36426.326.521'I 60-64......45'534'734-228'o Over 65 ......123-993'084-o7I'3 Alages....3I.823-02ao6I3.2 * Per i,ooo live birthsin 1952.With adjustmentsfor lack of registration. t Deaths per i,ooo live births. Birthcohortsin I9I9-22,I929-32and 1939-4Z. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions250OCTAVIOCABELLO Table C.Trendsin infantand neo-natalmortality,Chile I920-53.Ratesper i,ooo livebirths PostPost InfantNeo-natalneo-natalInfantNeo-natalneo-natal Yearmortality mortality mortalityYearmortality mortalitymortality (I-II (I-II (-Iyear)(-imonth)months)(-Iyear)(-imonth)months) I920...2478I27 3 I20-5I937 ...2I51I94II2I0 I92I...258-21259 I32 3I938 ...2105989.3i2Vi6 I922...2I44I07 3 I07II939 ...20098o06I20 3 I923*-- 243?0ii86I24 4I940 ...I92-8 75s8II7.0 I924...2423II8-7I23.6I94I ...I78-77I.8io6-9 I925...2375II4II23 4I942...I73 766.3 I07-4 I926...2330III* 3 I2I7I943172965.II07-8 I927...223 6 io6*3II73I944 ...I6I464.89966 I928...2IIV0976 II3 4 I945...I64562.2I02 3 I929...2i8-0968I2I2I946...I42855*787.I I930...2II89I6I20-2I947 ...I42-8533 89.5 I93I...I925284.8I07.4I948 ... I45.952z8931I I932...I92I85-II07-0I949 ... I50.354 I962 I933...209o892I II77I950 ... I32.2 50082-2 I934...2I6-898-9II7 9 I95I ... I3I-5 48-o83s5 I935...2I4-6 988 II5*8I952 ...I29.246582.7 1936....2.2226498s5I27-9I953 ...II2-44IV6708 Table D.Mortalitybysex, age, and maritalstatusfor personsaged 15and over, Chile 1952. Age specific ratesper I,000inhabitants Age and SexTotalSingle*MarriedtWidowed Both sexes...iI8969638.5 Over I5Male......I3.II0-7 I2'2555 Female......I078.57.833.I I5-24Male...4-04.I3.4I4*9 Female....34 3 53.28.3 25-34Male...5'7g.o3*5I0O3 Female......4-76.33*96.3 35-44 Male8z2I595.9I3.5 Female5.3......6-i8I53 6 9 45-54 Male ......I3.925.2io08 22.I Female.1...o..I0I2.788IO*7 55-64Male......30-048624.640-7 Female......I9-4234i8-i I9g0 65 and over Male......76-II13-658*2 I00o9 Female.....67- 39IV50.867-6 * Includes divorcedpersonsand those living in "irregularunions t Includes separatedpersons. This content downloaded from 130.133.8.114 on Thu, 02 Jul 2015 23:08:00 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions