Nationality:
noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%

Languages:
Spanish (official), Guarani (official)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)

Demographic profile:
Paraguay falls below the Latin American average in several socioeconomic categories, including immunization rates, potable water, sanitation, and secondary school enrollment, and has greater rates of income inequality and child and maternal mortality. Paraguay's poverty rate has declined in recent years but remains high, especially in rural areas, with more than a third of the population below the poverty line. However, the well-being of the poor in many regions has improved in terms of housing quality and access to clean water, telephone service, and electricity. The fertility rate continues to drop, declining sharply from an average 4.3 births per woman in the late 1990s to about 2 in 2013, as a result of the greater educational attainment of women, increased use of contraception, and a desire for smaller families among young women.
Paraguay is a country of emigration; it has not attracted large numbers of immigrants because of political instability, civil wars, years of dictatorship, and the greater appeal of neighboring countries. Paraguay first tried to encourage immigration in 1870 in order to rebound from the heavy death toll it suffered during the War of the Triple Alliance, but it received few European and Middle Eastern immigrants. In the 20th century, limited numbers of immigrants arrived from Lebanon, Japan, South Korea, and China, as well as Mennonites from Canada, Russia, and Mexico. Large flows of Brazilian immigrants have been arriving since the 1960s, mainly to work in agriculture. Paraguayans continue to emigrate to Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, the United States, Italy, Spain, and France.

Population:
6,703,860 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.2% (male 892,315/female 861,915)
15-24 years: 20.5% (male 691,365/female 683,653)
25-54 years: 39.5% (male 1,326,281/female 1,323,194)
55-64 years: 7.2% (male 246,869/female 236,564)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 206,089/female 235,615) (2014 est.)
population pyramid:

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 60.5 %
youth dependency ratio: 51.5 %
elderly dependency ratio: 8.9 %
potential support ratio: 11.2 (2014 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.8 years
male: 26.6 years
female: 27 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.19% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
16.66 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
4.64 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 61.9% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 2.55% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas - population:
ASUNCION (capital) 2.139 million (2011)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
22.9
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2008 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
99 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 73
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.75 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 86
male: 24.39 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.8 years
country comparison to the world: 72
male: 74.16 years
female: 79.56 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.96 children born/woman (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
79.4%
note: percent of women aged 15-44 (2008)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
9.7% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 29
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
1.11 physicians/1,000 population (2002)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2011)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 83.4% of population
total: 93.8% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0% of population
rural: 16.6% of population
total: 6.2% of population (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 96.1% of population
rural: 52.5% of population
total: 79.7% of population
unimproved:
urban: 3.9% of population
rural: 47.5% of population
total: 20.3% of population (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
300 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: dengue fever (2013)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
17.9% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 110
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
3.4% (2005)
country comparison to the world: 104
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
4.8% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 84
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.9%
male: 94.8%
female: 92.9% (2010 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2011)

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 205,297
percentage: 15 % (2004 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 11.2%
country comparison to the world: 104
male: 9%
female: 14.6% (2012)