Background: Indigenous groups inhabited central and southern Chile for several thousand years, living in mixed pastoralist and settled communities. The Inca then ruled the north of the country for nearly a century prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. In 1541, the Spanish established the Captaincy General of Chile, which lasted until Chile declared its independence in 1810. The subsequent struggle with the Spanish became tied to other South American independence conflicts, with a decisive victory 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 Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 in a military coup led by General Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a democratically elected president was inaugurated in 1990. Economic reforms that were 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.

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): (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

Land use
Agricultural land: 14.4% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 1.9% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 11.8% (2023 est.)
Forest: 24.5% (2023 est.)
Other: 61.1% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 9,094 km² (2022)

Natural hazards: severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
Volcanism: significant volcanic activity due to more than three-dozen active volcanoes along the Andes Mountains; Lascar (5,592 m), which last erupted in 2007, is the most active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes; Llaima (3,125 m) in central Chile, which last erupted in 2009, is another of the country's most active; Chaiten's 2008 eruption forced major evacuations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Cerro Hudson, Calbuco, Copahue, Guallatiri, Llullaillaco, Nevados de Chillan, Puyehue, San Pedro, and Villarrica; see note 2 under 'Geography - note'

Geography
Note note 1: Chile is the longest country north-to-south in the world, extending across 39 degrees of latitude
Note note 2: Chile is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes
Note note 3: the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile is the driest desert in the world; 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; the volcano's small crater lake is the world's highest lake at 6,390 m

Population
Total: 18,664,652 (2024 est.)
Male: 9,169,736
Female: 9,494,916
Distribution: 90% of the population is located in the middle third of the country around the capital of Santiago; the far north, including the Atacama Desert, and the extreme south are relatively underpopulated
Growth rate: 0.61% (2024 est.)

Languages: Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, Indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua, Rapa Nui), other 2.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2012 est.)
Major-language sample(s): ; La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

Religions
Catholic 57%, none 25.7%, Evangelical or Protestant 16.2%, other Christians and traditions related to Christ 1.3%; less than 1%: Buddhist, Catholic Orthodox, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Islam, Judaism, other religions, no religion (2024)

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.2% (male 1,822,908/female 1,751,528)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 6,274,620/female 6,278,467)
65 years and over: 13.6% (2024 est.) (male 1,072,208/female 1,464,921)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 44.9 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 24.8 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 20 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 5 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 35.8 years
Female: 38.2 years

Population growth rate: 0.61% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 12.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: 90% of the population is located in the middle third of the country around the capital of Santiago; the far north, including 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)

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 (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 10 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 77.3 years
Female: 83.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.75 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 9.1% (2024 est.); 9.1% (2023 est.); 8.3% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

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 Saint James, the patron saint of Spain (Santo Iago in Spanish); Valparaiso derives from the Spanish words valle (valley) and paraíso (paradise)

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

Legal system: civil law system influenced by several Western European civil legal systems; Constitutional Tribunal reviews legislative acts

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022)
Head of government: President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a single 4-year term
Most recent election date: 16 November 2025, with a runoff held on 14 December 2025
Election results: 2025: José Antonio KAST elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jeannette Alejandra JARA Román (PCCh) 26.8%, José Antonio KAST (PLR) 23.9%, Franco Aldo PARISI Fernández (PDG) 19.7%, Johannes KAISER (PNL) 13.9%, Evelyn Rose MATTHEI Fornet (PL) 12.5%; other 3.2%; percent of vote in second round - José Antonio KAST 58.2%, Jeannette Alejandra JARA Román 41.8%; note - KAST will take office 11 March 2026
2021: Gabriel BORIC elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - José Antonio KAST (FSC) 27.9%; Gabriel BORIC (AD) 25.8%; Franco PARISI (PDG) 12.8%; Sebastian SICHEL (ChP+) 12.8%; Yasna PROVOSTE (New Social Pact) 11.6%; other 9.1%; percent of vote in second round - Gabriel BORIC 55.9%; Jose Antonio KAST 44.1%
2017: Sebastian PINERA Echenique elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Sebastian PINERA Echenique (independent) 36.6%; Alejandro GUILLIER (independent) 22.7%; Beatriz SANCHEZ (independent) 20.3%; Jose Antonio KAST (independent) 7.9%; Carolina GOIC (PDC) 5.9%; Marco ENRIQUEZ-OMINAMI (PRO) 5.7%; other 0.9%; percent of vote in second round - Sebastian PINERA Echenique 54.6%, Alejandro GUILLIER 45.4%
Expected date of next election: 18 November 2,029 (a runoff, if needed, will take place in December 2,029)
Note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch
Legislature name: National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
Legislative structure: bicameral

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; a blue square sits in the top left corner of the flag, the same height as the white band; the square has a five-pointed white star in the center

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

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

Real gdp growth rate: 2.6% (2024 est.); 0.5% (2023 est.); 2.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 2.6% (2024 est.); 0.5% (2023 est.); 2.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 58.1% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 15.1% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.5% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.3% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 33.7% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -30.1% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.9% (2024 est.)
Industry: 30.1% (2024 est.)
Services: 56.1% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 10.088 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 9.1% (2024 est.); 9.1% (2023 est.); 8.3% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 9.1% (2024 est.); 9.1% (2023 est.); 8.3% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $77.003 billion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $85.024 billion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 17.7% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $111.123 billion (2024 est.); $103.256 billion (2023 est.); $107.039 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: copper ore, refined copper, fish, carbonates, pitted fruits (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $99.239 billion (2024 est.); $100.082 billion (2023 est.); $118.928 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, garments, trucks (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 39.238 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 83.295 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 4.384 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 35.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 20.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 10.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 26.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 5.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 474,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 8.087 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 63,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 7.589 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.181 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 11,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 404,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 150 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 1.362 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 6.5 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 39.009 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 5.196 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 97.976 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 83.058 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 14.773 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 55.504 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 12.781 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 71.42 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.978 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 26.7 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 135 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 95% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4.52 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 1.5% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.6% of GDP (2022 est.); 2% of GDP (2021 est.); 2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Airports: 379 (2025)

Heliports: 115 (2025)

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)

Merchant marine
Total: 249 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 3, container ship 5, general cargo 66, oil tanker 14, other 161