MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Population of Buenos Aires province: 15.2 million according to preliminary census

The population of Argentina is estimated in over 40 million

The province of Buenos Aires has the largest population of Argentina having increased 9.9% in the last nine years and reaching 15.2 million according to the preliminary results form the country’s national census.

The numbers were was released by the province of Buenos Aires census office based on data collected during census day at the end of October.

An interesting revelation of the census is that there are 300.000 more women than men in the province of Buenos Aires.

According to the provincial Deputy Finance Secretary Silvina Batakis only 0.84% of households in the province of Buenos Aires refused to open the door to the census teams, “which means the operation has been 99% complete guaranteeing the information collected”.

The Argentine 2010 population census, the tenth event of this kind in the country’s history, collects data not only related to homes, services, degree of access to internet but other information which enables to update the previous census from 2001.

According to government estimates previous to the official census, the total population of Argentina is over 40 million.

This census day (national holiday) has been quite special since it took place on the same day that former president Nestor Kirchner died of a massive heart attack early morning October 27.

He was waiting for the census team to visit him and wife President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at their home in El Calafate, Patagonia when he had to be rushed urgently to hospital.

The province of Buenos Aires, rich in farmland but also in manufacturing, has been traditionally the stronghold of the ruling Peronist party which tightly controls through the federal treasury an estimated 150 municipalities that help swing the province and is decisive for any presidential contest.