Factbook
History of Chile — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Chile, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
Last updated: October 2026
1541In 1541, the Spanish established the Captaincy General of Chile, which lasted until Chile declared its independence in 1810.
1810Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain).
1818The subsequent struggle with the Spanish became tied to other South American independence conflicts, with a decisive victory not being achieved until 1818.
1879In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia to win its current northernmost regions.
1891Between 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.
2012Languages: Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, Indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua, Rapa Nui), other 2.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2012 est.) 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) Urban population: 88% of total population (2023).
2023Generation mix — 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 i Energy use: 71.42 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: copper, lithium, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles Agriculture: grapes, milk, apples, wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, chicken, maize, sugar beets, pork (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 6.903 million SANTIAGO (capital), 1.009 million Valparaiso, 912,000 Concepcion (2023) 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 Inflation: 4.3% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 1.5% of GDP (2024 est.).
2025Population: 19.1 million (2025 estimate).
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