Chile at its true size
Chile covers 756,102 km², number 37 of 194 countries by area. Home to 19,859,921 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.53× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 756,102 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 19,859,921 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 26 per km² |
| Capital | Santiago |
| Local time in Santiago | |
| Time zone | UTC−4, summer time UTC−3 · UTC−6 to UTC−3, 3 time zones IANA |
| Currency | Chilean peso (CLP) Wikidata |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | South America, South America |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OECD |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +56 |
| Codes | CL · CHL · 152 |
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Where Chile ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#66 of 19420 million people#6 of 12 in South America
- Population density#159 of 19426 people per km²#5 of 12 in South America
- Urban population#21 of 19289% urban#4 of 12 in South America
- Fertility rate#183 of 1921.14 births per woman#12 of 12 in South America
- Population growth#127 of 192+0.48% a year#8 of 12 in South America
- Birth rate#159 of 1928.7 births per 1,000 people#12 of 12 in South America
- Death rate#117 of 1926.6 deaths per 1,000 people#8 of 12 in South America
- Children under 15#146 of 19216.5% under 15#12 of 12 in South America
- People over 65#57 of 19214.6% aged 65 and over#2 of 12 in South America
- Net migration#33 of 192+2.6 per 1,000 people#1 of 12 in South America
- Refugees abroad#90 of 1900.27 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#5 of 12 in South America
Health & education
- Life expectancy#34 of 19281.4 years#1 of 12 in South America
- Infant mortality#138 of 1915.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#12 of 12 in South America
- Doctors#52 of 1783.33 doctors per 1,000 people#4 of 11 in South America
- University enrolment#5 of 145110.2% gross enrolment#1 of 8 in South America
- Human Development Index#44 of 190an index of 0.878#1 of 12 in South America
Economy
- GNI per capita#61 of 185$16,960 a person#3 of 12 in South America
- Internet users#23 of 18496% online#1 of 12 in South America
- GDP per capita (PPP)#57 of 184$37,774 a person#3 of 11 in South America
- GDP growth#118 of 187+2.5% a year#7 of 12 in South America
- Inflation#51 of 176+4.2% a year#7 of 11 in South America
- Unemployment#41 of 1789.0% of the labour force#2 of 12 in South America
- Extreme poverty#107 of 1490.4% under $3.00 a day#9 of 10 in South America
- Income inequality (Gini)#24 of 149a Gini index of 43.0#5 of 10 in South America
- Jobs in agriculture#126 of 1786.1% of jobs#12 of 12 in South America
- Jobs in industry#67 of 17821.5% of jobs#3 of 12 in South America
- Jobs in services#42 of 17872.4% of jobs#3 of 12 in South America
- Foreign investment#48 of 1844.1% of GDP#3 of 12 in South America
- Exports#88 of 16834.6% of GDP#2 of 10 in South America
- Military spending#87 of 1551.5% of GDP#4 of 10 in South America
- Mobile subscriptions#45 of 191133 subscriptions per 100 people#5 of 12 in South America
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#65 of 1853.94 tonnes a person#4 of 12 in South America
- Forest area#110 of 19225% forest#10 of 12 in South America
- Renewable energy#94 of 19024.2% renewable#7 of 12 in South America
- Access to electricity#112 of 19299.0% with electricity#5 of 12 in South America
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#67 of 19123.1 µg/m³#3 of 12 in South America
- Protected land#73 of 19121.6% of the land protected#6 of 12 in South America
- Arable land#163 of 1901.9% of the land arable#10 of 12 in South America
- Water stress#93 of 1769.0% of its available fresh water#3 of 12 in South America
- Precipitation#56 of 1801,522 mm a year#8 of 12 in South America
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Chile’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Chile fit into…
- Russia: about 23 times
- Canada: about 13 times
- United States: about 13 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Chile shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Bío Bío380 km
Summits
- Ojos del Salado6,893 m
- Llullaillaco6,723 m
- Aucanquilcha6,176 m
- Monte San Valentin4,058 m
- Tronador3,491 m
Lakes
- Lago Buenos Aires1,850 km²
- Lago Viedma1,088 km²
- Lago Llanquihue860 km²
- Lago Ranco442 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Chile. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Chile
- How big is Chile?
- Chile covers 756,102 km², which makes it number 37 of 194 countries by area. About 19,859,921 people live there (2025), 26 per km².
- Is Chile bigger than Zambia?
- Chile and Zambia are almost exactly the same size. Chile: 756,102 km²; Zambia: 752,618 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Chile?
- At about 36° latitude, Mercator stretches Chile to roughly 1.53× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Chile?
- Chile shares a land border with Argentina, Peru, Bolivia.