Argentina has a population of 46.04 million people, according to preliminary results from the 2022 census released by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) on Tuesday afternoon. 

It represents an increase of 8% since the nation was last surveyed in 2010. Women account for 51.8% of Argentina’s population, while 48.22% are men and 0.02% – around one in 5,000 respondents – said that they were neither. 

Buenos Aires Province remains by far the largest jurisdiction in the country, with a population of 17.57 million. It is followed by Córdoba (3.98 million), Santa Fe (3.56 million), the City of Buenos Aires (3.56 million) and Mendoza (2.01 million).

In 2022, INDEC set up a webpage allowing Argentine residents to complete the census online for the first time. More than half the population chose this method to complete the census, “surpassing expectations”, according to INDEC. The census was originally scheduled for 2020, but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The poll included new questions about self-perceived gender, ethnic identity, and diability, as part of a push to use the census to better reflect diversity in Argentina.

The census was carried out on May 18, 2022, a day which was declared to be a public holiday so that people could stay in their homes waiting to be surveyed. INDEC estimates that the operation reached 98.6% of the population.

Data collected in the census will allow the Argentine government to decide where there is a need for more resources, such as more schools, hospitals, and road infrastructure.