MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Magallanes has fastest ageing population in Chile

Magallanes Region has the fastest ageing population in Chile with 17.3% of its residents over 60 and also the highest number of single over 60 households in spite of the fact the region has the second highest per capita income of the country.

According to a recent report from the think-tank Instituto de Libertad y Desarrollo Magallanes residents in 2005 had a per capita income of 8.288 US dollars, second only to Antofagasta with 10.348 US dollars. However the report also indicates that in spite of the statistical numbers a high percentage of Magallanes population can be described as "highly vulnerable". The Chilean Social Protection File shows that 17.3% of residents in Magallanes are over 60, compared to 13.4% in metropolitan Santiago. Similarly single households of over 60 represent 11.6% of Magallanes households compared to 7.7% in metropolitan Santiago. Also worrisome is that 43.1% of households are headed by a woman, the second highest of Chile and that 6.7% of the population is under the age of five. Another interesting factor from the Social Protection File is that the number of people in Magallanes admitting indigenous ancestry has increased and now stands at 19.7%, only behing La Araucanía with 24.9% and Los Lagos, 19.8%.