Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Chile: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MBB, ranked #31 of 195).
Chile is a presidential republic in Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru. The country's capital is Santiago; note - Valparaiso is the seat of the national legislature; it covers 756,102 sq km. Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain). 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. Population: 19.1 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +0.46% per year. Median age: 38.9 years. Life expectancy: 80.3 years (2024 est.). Languages: Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, Indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, …
| 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% |
| Unemployment | 9.1% |
| 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 |
| 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.) |
MBB · 64/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ 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.
Copper, Timber, Iron ore, Molybdenum, Hydropower.
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) |
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.
| 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
MBB · 64 Ranked #31 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Chile.
