Chile People - 2021

Population

18,307,925 (July 2021 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.)

printed major-language sample:
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Roman Catholic 66.7%, Evangelical or Protestant 16.4%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, other 3.4%, none 11.5%, unspecified 1.1% (2012 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.

Chile has historically been a country of emigration but has slowly become more attractive to immigrants since transitioning to democracy in 1990 and improving its economic stability (other regional destinations have concurrently experienced deteriorating economic and political conditions). Most of Chile's small but growing foreign-born population consists of transplants from other Latin American countries, especially Peru.

Age structure

0-14 years: 19.79% (male 1,836,240/female 1,763,124)

15-24 years: 13.84% (male 1,283,710/female 1,233,238)

25-54 years: 42.58% (male 3,882,405/female 3,860,700)

55-64 years: 11.98% (male 1,034,049/female 1,145,022)

65 years and over: 11.81% (male 902,392/female 1,245,890) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 45.9

youth dependency ratio: 28.1

elderly dependency ratio: 17.9

potential support ratio: 5.6 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 35.5 years

male: 34.3 years

female: 36.7 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

0.68% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

12.92 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 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: 87.8% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 0.78% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

6.812 million SANTIAGO (capital), 992,000 Valparaiso, 892,000 Concepcion (2021)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality rate

13 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 7.26 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 79.57 years

male: 76.55 years

female: 82.71 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.76 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

76.3% (2015/16)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

9.1% (2018)

Physicians density

2.59 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

2.1 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.6% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

77,000 (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

28% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

0.5% (2014)

Education expenditures

5.4% of GDP (2017)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.4%

male: 96.3%

female: 96.3% (2017)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 17 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2018)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 19.6%

male: 19.1%

female: 20.3% (2019 est.)