Chile — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Chile: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Chile is in Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru. It covers 756,102 sq km. Terrain: low coastal mountains, fertile central valley, rugged Andes in east. Climate: temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south.
| Capital | Santiago; note - Valparaiso is the seat of the national legislature |
|---|---|
| Population | 19,091,343 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $596.556 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $30,200 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 2.6% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 4.3% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 9.1% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 21% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $111.123 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $99.239 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 80.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 38.9 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 88% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 18 September 1810 (from Spain) |
| Languages | Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, Indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua, Rapa Nui), other 2.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2012 est.) |
Chile’s GDP is $596.556 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $330.267 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 2.6% (2024 est.). See where Chile ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum +2 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The mining and energy pipeline stayed full and permitting reform kept unlocking projects — the investment case held through the quarter.
No political shocks strong enough to dent it: a modestly positive quarter, commodity-led.
- What our model rewards: public debt under 21% of GDP — room to maneuver; a top world supplier of Lithium and Copper — commodities the planet cannot do without
- What drags it down: fertility of 1.2 children per woman — below replacement, the cradle is emptying
Copper, Timber, Iron ore, Molybdenum, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 35.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 20.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 10.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 26.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 71.42 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 518.7 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 89.3 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 26,245 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 29.6%, Solar 22.3%, Coal 15.8%, Wind 11.9%, Gas 11.6%, Oil 2.7% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 69.9% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 265.5 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $111.123 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $99.239 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $11.9 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | copper, lithium, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
José Antonio Kast — President. President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022)
Chile maintains 73 embassies and 41 consulates abroad, hosts 70 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, OAS Washington. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 73 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 41 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 70 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, OAS Washington |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 via Wikipedia 'List of countries by number of diplomatic missions' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions ; hosted: Consular Affairs Center Jan 2026 report (in-country ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 6435 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 379 + 115 heliports (registration prefix CC) |
| Major seaports | Antofagasta, Bahia de Valdivia, Bahia de Valparaiso, Coronel, Iquique, Mejillones, Puerto Montt, Puerto San Antonio, Rada de Arica, Rada Punta Arenas, Talcahuano, Tocopilla |
| Railways | 7281.5 km |
| Pipelines | 3,160 km gas, 781 km liquid petroleum gas, 985 km oil, 722 km refined products (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | San Antonio (1,840,458 TEU, 2021); Valparaiso (793,118 TEU, 2021) |
Major airports
Andrés Sabella Gálvez International Airport (ANF) — Antofagasta; Carriel Sur International Airport (CCP) — Concepcion; Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) — Santiago; Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ) — Iquique; El Tepual International Airport (PMC) — Puerto Montt; La Araucanía International Airport (ZCO) — Temuco; Mataveri International Airport (IPC) — Isla De Pascua; President Carlos Ibáñez International Airport (PUQ) — Punta Arenas; Balmaceda Airport (BBA) — Balmaceda; Cañal Bajo Carlos Hott Siebert Airport (ZOS) — Osorno.
Showing 10 of 15 major airports.
Terminals
| LNG import terminals | Mejillones, Quintero |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2025 — presidential; 2025-12-14 (runoff; first round 2025-11-16); winner: José Antonio Kast (Republican Party); Most right-wing president since return to democracy; third attempt at the presidency AP News via Gulf News |
| Next election | 2029 — presidential (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Chile.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Chile — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Chile's power score?
Chile has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.