Chile People - 2023
SOURCE: 2023 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
18,549,457 (2023 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 sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
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.
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: 19.34% (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: 35.5 years
male: 34.3 years
female: 36.7 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
0.63% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
12.57 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
6.58 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
0.32 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)
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.)
Maternal mortality ratio
15 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 6.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.98 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 80.02 years
male: 77.04 years
female: 83.13 years (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.75 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.86 (2023 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 (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: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
28% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 7.8 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 2.76 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 2.61 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 2.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
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)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
46.3% (2023 est.)
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%
male: 20.4%
female: 22.8% (2021 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Chile on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Chile 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Chile 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 06 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.