Chile’s Elderly Population On The Rise

In 28 out of the 344 municipalities in Chile, more elderly residents (60 and older) live in the area than do children (15 and younger).

In the last census, there were 1,141 centenarians and 38,556 people in their nineties recorded in Chile.

Results from the National Statistics Institute (INE) suggest that in the next decade, the numbers will drastically increase, so that around 44 percent of the municipalities will have an equal number of elderly and children residents, or, even more of the former.

Currently, the municipalities with the highest populations of elderly residents are Río Verde, Putre and San Gregorio. In Santiago, the borough of Providencia is home to the highest number of elderly residents, with 144 for every 100 children. Still, by 2020, it is expected that Ñuñoa will houses the most elderly residents than youngsters, followed by Independencia.

Gustavo Villalón, a demographer from INE, said, “The decline of fertility and mortality has contributed to this figure,” as women now have on average 1.9 children as opposed to the 2.7 average in 1990.

Villalón said this was a natural transition, especially for developing countries. Japan has 227 seniors for every 100 children, while Chile has only 58 seniors for every 100 children. However, this figure has tripled since 1970, when it was 19 to 100.

Unsurprisingly, the life expectancy in Chile is high at 79 years, one of the highest in Latin America.

By 2020, the population older than 60 is expected to increase by 45 percent, to 3.2 million people, about 17 percent of the total population. The population of children is expected to decrease by 2 percent, to 3.8 million.