Cultural Demography
Paraguay's population of about seven million is distributed unevenly throughout the country. The vast majority of the people live in the eastern region, most within 100 miles of Asunción, the capital and largest city. The Chaco, which accounts for about 60 percent of the territory, is home to less than two percent of the population.
Ethnically, culturally and socially, Paraguay has one of the most homogeneous populations in South America. About 95 percent of the people are of mixed Spanish and Guarani Indian descent. As well, Germans, Japanese, Koreans, ethnic Chinese, Arabs, Brazilians and Argentines are among those who have settled in Paraguay.
Little trace is left of the original Guarani culture except the language, which is understood by 90 percent of the total population. About 75 percent of all Paraguayans speak Spanish. Spanish is the only official language.
According to recent surveys of religious affiliation, about 90 percent of Paraguayans are Roman Catholic and 10 percent are of Mennonite and other Protestant sects.
Health and Welfare
In general, living standards in Paraguay have fallen over the past decade, corresponding largely with the political upheaval that has taken place. In January and February 2000, some 5,000 to 10,000 cases of dengue fever broke out in Asunción and several surrounding areas. Health authorities attempted to inform and educate the public on the disease with a prevention campaign that included lectures, house-to-house visits, and fliers. Another outbreak occurred in 2007 leading to the declaration of a state of emergency.
Paraguay's infant mortality rate is 26.45 deaths per 1,000 births, according to recent estimates. The life expectancy at birth was estimated to be 75.34 years of age for the total population. In a measure of the literacy rate, defined as the percentage of those age 15 and over who can read and write, Paraguay's total population was estimated to be 94 percent literate.
Human Development
One notable measure used to determine a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which has been compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries, the HDI placed Paraguay in the medium human development category, at 96th place.
Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based so lely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief at CountryWatch; see Bibliography for list of research sources.