Map of Chile | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Indigenous groups inhabited central and southern Chile for several thousands of years, living in mixed pastoralist and settled communities, ending with the Inca ruling the north of the country for nearly a century prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. The Captaincy General of Chile was founded by the Spanish in 1541, lasting until Chile declared its independence in 1810. The subsequent struggle became tied to other South American independence conflicts, with a decisive victory over the Spanish not being achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia to win its current northernmost regions. By the 1880s, the Chilean central government cemented its control over the central and southern regions inhabited by Mapuche Indigenous peoples. Between 1891 and 1973, a series of elected governments succeeded each other until the three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by General Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a democratically elected president was inaugurated in 1990. Economic reforms, maintained consistently since the 1980s, contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.


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Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru

Geographic coordinates: 30 00 S, 71 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 756,102 km²
Land: 743,812 km²
Water: 12,290 km²
Note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Comparative: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

Land boundaries
Total: 7,801 km
Border countries: (3) Argentina 6,691 km; Bolivia 942 km; Peru 168 km

Coastline: 6,435 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200/350 nm

Climate: temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south

Terrain: low coastal mountains, fertile central valley, rugged Andes in east

Elevation
Highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,893 m (highest volcano in the world)
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 1,871 m

Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 21.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 1.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 18.8% (2018 est.)
Forest: 21.9% (2018 est.)
Other: 57% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 11,100 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 1.29 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 1.66 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 29.42 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 923.1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis

Geography
Note note 1: the longest north-south trending country in the world, extending across 39 degrees of latitude; strategic location relative to sea lanes between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)
Note note 2: Chile is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire
Note note 3: the Atacama Desert - the driest desert in the world - spreads across the northern part of the country; Ojos del Salado (6,893 m) in the Atacama Desert is the highest active volcano in the world, Chile's tallest mountain, and the second highest in the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere - its small crater lake (at 6,390 m) is the world's highest lake


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Population
Distribution: 90% of the population is located in the middle third of the country around the capital of Santiago; the far north (anchored by the Atacama Desert) and the extreme south are relatively underpopulated: 18,549,457 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.63% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 8.6% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Chilean(s)
Adjective: Chilean

Ethnic groups: White and non-Indigenous 88.9%, Mapuche 9.1%, Aymara 0.7%, other Indigenous groups 1% (includes Rapa Nui, Likan Antai, Quechua, Colla, Diaguita, Kawesqar, Yagan or Yamana), unspecified 0.3% (2012 est.)

Languages: Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, Indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua, Rapa Nui), other 2.3%, unspecified 0.2%; note - shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census (2012 est.)
Major-language samples:

Religions: Roman Catholic 60%, Evangelical 18%, atheist or agnostic 4%, none 17% (2018 est.)

Demographic profile: Chile is in the advanced stages of demographic transition and is becoming an aging society - with fertility below replacement level, low mortality rates, and life expectancy on par with developed countries. Nevertheless, with its dependency ratio nearing its low point, Chile could benefit from its favorable age structure. It will need to keep its large working-age population productively employed, while preparing to provide for the needs of its growing proportion of elderly people, especially as women - the traditional caregivers - increasingly enter the workforce. Over the last two decades, Chile has made great strides in reducing its poverty rate, which is now lower than most Latin American countries. However, its severe income inequality ranks as the worst among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Unequal access to quality education perpetuates this uneven income distribution.

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.34% (male 1,829,801/female 1,758,137)
15-64 years: 67.56% (male 6,259,566/female 6,273,074)
65 years and over: 13.09% (2023 est.) (male 1,024,692/female 1,404,187)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.2
Youth dependency ratio: 26.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 18.4
Potential support ratio: 5.4 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.6 years (2023 est.)
Male: 35.4 years
Female: 37.8 years

Population growth rate: 0.63% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 12.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: 90% of the population is located in the middle third of the country around the capital of Santiago; the far north (anchored by the Atacama Desert) and the extreme south are relatively underpopulated

Urbanization
Urban population: 88% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.78% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 6.903 million SANTIAGO (capital), 1.009 million Valparaiso, 912,000 Concepcion (2023)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; noise pollution; improper garbage disposal; soil degradation; widespread deforestation and mining threaten the environment; wildlife conservation
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 20.49 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 85.82 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 15.97 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 15 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 5.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80 years (2023 est.)
Male: 77 years
Female: 83.1 years

Total fertility rate: 1.75 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 76.3% (2015/16)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 9.8% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 2.84 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 2.1 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 28% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 7.8 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 2.76 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 2.61 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 2.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 29.2% (2020 est.)
Male: 31.6% (2020 est.)
Female: 26.8% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 0.5% (2014)

Education expenditures: 5.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97%
Male: 97.1%
Female: 97% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 17 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 17 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 21.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 20.4%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 22.8%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Chile
Conventional short form: Chile
Local long form: República de Chile
Local short form: Chile
Etymology: derivation of the name is unclear, but it may come from the Mapuche word "chilli" meaning "limit of the earth" or from the Quechua "chiri" meaning "cold"

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Santiago; note - Valparaiso is the seat of the national legislature
Geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W
Time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in August; ends second Sunday in May; note - Punta Arenas observes DST throughout the year
Time zone note: Chile has three time zones: the continental portion at UTC-3; the southern Magallanes region, which does not use daylight savings time and remains at UTC-3 for the summer months; and Easter Island at UTC-5
Etymology: Santiago is named after the biblical figure Saint James (ca. A.D. 3-44), patron saint of Spain, but especially revered in Galicia; "Santiago" derives from the local Galician evolution of the Vulgar Latin "Sanctu Iacobu"; Valparaiso derives from the Spanish "Valle Paraiso" meaning "Paradise Valley"

Administrative divisions: 16 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aysen, Antofagasta, Araucania, Arica y Parinacota, Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Los Rios, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena (Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica), Maule, Nuble, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso
Note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica

Dependent areas

Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

Constitution
History: many previous; latest adopted 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; a referendum held on 4 September 2022 to implement a new constitution was defeated by nearly 62% of voters; a second 50-member constitutional council elected in early May 2023 is charged with producing another draft constitution for submission to a national referendum by 17 December 2023
Amendments: proposed by members of either house of the National Congress or by the president of the republic; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote of the membership in both houses and approval by the president; passage of amendments to constitutional articles, such as the republican form of government, basic rights and freedoms, the Constitutional Tribunal, electoral justice, the Council of National Security, or the constitutional amendment process, requires at least two-third majority vote by both houses of Congress and approval by the president; the president can opt to hold a referendum when Congress and the president disagree on an amendment; amended many times, last in 2020

Legal system: civil law system influenced by several West European civil legal systems; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Tribunal

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term; election last held on 21 November 2021 with a runoff held on 19 December 2021 (next to be held on 23 November 2025 with runoff if needed on 20 December)
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (consists of a court president and 20 members or ministros); Constitutional Court (consists of 10 members and is independent of the rest of the judiciary); Elections Qualifying Court (consists of 5 members)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president and judges (ministers) appointed by the president of the republic and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 70; Constitutional Court members appointed - 3 by the Supreme Court, 3 by the president of the republic, 2 by the Chamber of Deputies, and 2 by the Senate; members serve 9-year terms with partial membership replacement every 3 years (the court reviews constitutionality of legislation); Elections Qualifying Court members appointed by lottery - 1 by the former president or vice president of the Senate and 1 by the former president or vice president of the Chamber of Deputies, 2 by the Supreme Court, and 1 by the Appellate Court of Valparaiso; members appointed for 4-year terms
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; oral criminal tribunals; military tribunals; local police courts; specialized tribunals and courts in matters such as family, labor, customs, taxes, and electoral affairs

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OECD (enhanced engagement), OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance, PCA, PROSUR, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Juan Gabriel VALDES Soublette (since 7 June 2022)
In the us chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 785-1746
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 887-5,579
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. MEEHAN (since 30 September 2022)
From the us embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2,800, Las Condes, Santiago
From the us mailing address: 3,460 Santiago Place, Washington DC 20,521-3,460
From the us telephone: [56] (2) 2,330-3,000
From the us FAX: [56] (2) 2,330-3,710
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red represents the blood spilled to achieve independence
Note: design influenced by the US flag

National symbols: huemul (mountain deer), Andean condor; national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem
Name: "Himno Nacional de Chile" (National Anthem of Chile)
Lyrics/music: Eusebio LILLO Robles and Bernardo DE VERA y Pintado/Ramon CARNICER y Battle
Note: music adopted 1828, original lyrics adopted 1818, adapted lyrics adopted 1847; under Augusto PINOCHET's military rule, a verse glorifying the army was added; however, as a protest, some citizens refused to sing this verse; it was removed when democracy was restored in 1990

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 7 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: export-driven economy; leading copper producer; though hit by COVID-19, fairly quick rebound from increased liquidity and rapid vaccine rollouts; decreasing poverty but still lingering inequality; public debt rising but still manageable; recent political violence has had negative economic consequences

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 62.3% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 14% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 28.7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -27% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 32.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 63% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: grapes, apples, wheat, sugar beet, milk, potatoes, tomatoes, maize, poultry, pork

Industries: copper, lithium, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 5.06% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 8.684 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 21.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 20.4%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 22.8%

Population below poverty line: 8.6% (2017 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 44.9 (2020 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.7%
Highest 10%: 41.5% (2013 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $55.16 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $73.176 billion (2020 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -2.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 16.24% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.49% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: China 32%, United States 14%, Japan 9%, South Korea 7% (2019)
Commodities: copper, fish fillets, wood pulp, pitted fruits, wine (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 24%, United States 20%, Brazil 8%, Germany 5%, Argentina 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, broadcasting equipment, delivery trucks (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 29.808 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 75.302 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 4.62 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 51.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 9.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 6.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 26% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 5.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 542,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 10.573 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 134,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 10.607 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.181 billion metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 11,900 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 361,700 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 172,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 150 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 216,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 7,359 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports: 166,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 1,109,962,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Consumption: 6,558,312,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 4,602,471,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 97.976 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 88.333 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 24.217 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 51.228 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 12.888 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 81.953 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,216,786 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 26,571,823 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 136 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: national and local terrestrial TV channels, coupled with extensive cable TV networks; the state-owned Television Nacional de Chile (TVN) network is self-financed through commercial advertising revenues and is not under direct government control; large number of privately owned TV stations; about 250 radio stations

Internet
Country code: .cl
Users total: 17.1 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3,763,826 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Armed Forces of Chile (space programs

Terrorist groups

Chile - Transportation 2023

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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 9 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 173
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 19,517,185 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,226,440,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: CC

Airports: 481 (2021)
With paved runways: 90
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 391
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Pipelines: 3,160 km gas, 781 km liquid petroleum gas, 985 km oil, 722 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 7,281.5 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 3,853.5 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge
Broad gauge: 3,428 km (2014) 1.676-m gauge (1,691 km electrified)

Roadways
Total: 77,801 km (2016)
Paved: (2010)
Unpaved: (2010)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 239 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 4, container ship 5, general cargo 64, oil tanker 14, other 152

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Coronel, Huasco, Lirquen, Puerto Ventanas, San Antonio, San Vicente, Valparaiso
Container ports teus: San Antonio (1,840,458), Valparaiso (793,118) (2021)
Lng terminals import: Mejillones, Quintero

Chile - Transnational issues 2023

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Disputes international: Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile has offered instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian natural gas; Chile rejects Peru's unilateral legislation to change its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis favoring Peru; in October 2007, Peru took its maritime complaint with Chile to the ICJ; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Southern Patagonian Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur)

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 448,138 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum or have received alternative legal stay) (2020)

Illicit drugs: transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe and the region; some money laundering activity, especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising, making Chile a significant consumer of cocaine