MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chileans overseas residents total 857.781

Chile's overseas population totals 857.781 according to the two year census jointly undertaken by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Statistics Institute.

The number is similar to the whole population of Chileans living in Region IX and represents approximately 6% of the country's total population of 15.880.000.

As to the countries with the greatest concentration of Chileans they are: Argentina 50,1%; United States 13,3% and Sweden 4,9%.

However a majority of them, adults above 15 years, 56,9% has no intention of returning to Chile, on the contrary they wish to remain in their new homes. Furthermore 40,1% left the country looking for better economic conditions; 30,8% alleged family reasons and 12,1% political reasons.

The poll also showed that 51% are economically active; 11,9% are students; 19,7% own homes; 3,8% retired and 5,3% did not answer or declared no activity. 23,9% have tertiary education, 2,5% have no education and 21,7% have adopted their host country citizenship.

On this data the president Ricardo Lagos administration has announced it will reconsider a bill granting the right to vote to Chileans living abroad. The original project has been dormant in Congress for 14 years since right wing and conservative parties feared that a majority of expatriates would vote for left wing parties and vetoed the initiative.

"The world's main democracies grant their residents overseas full citizenship, so this is just a matter of keeping in line with the most advances democracies", said Chilean Foreign Affairs minister Ignacio Walker.