Santiago de Chile, November 13 (RHC-EFE) --An aging population will characterize the Latin American and Caribbean region in the 21st century, a phenomenon attributable to lower fertility rates and longer life expectancy, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean said in a study released in Santiago Wednesday.

Life expectancy in the region has climbed from 55.7 years in 1950-1955, which was around 10 years below the average for most developed countries, to 74.7 years in 2010-2015, just five years behind developed nations, the study said.

That indicator is mainly attributable to a reduction in the region's infant mortality rate, the U.N. regional commission said.

The study, entitled "The New Demographic Era in Latin America and the Caribbean: Time for Equality According to the Population Clock," was presented at the first meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, which began Wednesday and will run through tomorrow, Friday, at ECLAC's headquarters in Santiago de Chile.

Latin America had one of the world's highest reproductive rates in 1950-1955, nearly six children per woman, but that level has fallen to less than 2.2 children per woman in 2010-2015, slightly below the global median of 2.3.