Synchronicities between the Health Transition and the Second Demographic Transition in Argentina during the First Decade of the 21st Century

Abstract

This work analyzes the health transition (HT) and the second demographic transition (SDT) processes in Argentina during the first decade of the current millennium. On the basis of specialized literature and official databases, this article proposes empirical indicators for the assessment of both transitions and examines the underlying links between them. Overall, 31 proxy indicators were selected and described for the 23 Argentine provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. A hierarchical cluster analysis was developed, following the Ward method. Four clusters of Argentine jurisdictions were identified, and their distribution was spatially analyzed. The clusters presented different levels of progression in both transitions. The findings show that there is a socioeconomic gradient in the configuration of the clusters and that the synchronicity between the SDT and the HT is expressed at the social and space scale.