Bolivia vs Chile
Bolivia is 45% larger than Chile.
BoliviaChileBolivia moved onto Chile · Equal-area projection
1.45×
Bolivia is 1.45× the area of Chile.
 Bolivia |  Chile | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBolivia: 1.45× the area | 1,098,581 km²#27 of 194 | 756,102 km²#37 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationChile: 1.58× the population | 12,581,843#79 of 194 · 2025 | 19,859,921#66 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityChile: 2.29× the density | 11 / km²#180 of 194 | 26 / km²#159 of 194 |
| Urban populationChile: 1.25× the urban share | 72%#66 of 192 · 2025 | 89%#21 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBolivia: 2.21× the births per woman | 2.52 per woman#72 of 192 · 2024 | 1.14 per woman#183 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBolivia: 0.87 points higher | +1.35%#73 of 192 · 2025 | +0.48%#127 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBolivia: 2.41× the birth rate | 21.0 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#159 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBolivia: 1.09× the death rate | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 6.6 per 1,000#117 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Bolivia: 12.9 points higher | 29.4%#72 of 192 · 2025 | 16.5%#146 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Chile: 8.9 points higher | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 14.6%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationChile: 2.9 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | +2.6 per 1,000#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadChile: 4.5× the refugees for its size | 0.06 per 1,000#129 of 190 · 2025 | 0.27 per 1,000#90 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyChile: 12.7 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 81.4 years#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBolivia: 2.45× the infant mortality | 14.2 per 1,000 births#88 of 191 · 2024 | 5.8 per 1,000 births#138 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsChile: 2.6× the doctors per person | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2021 | 3.33 per 1,000#52 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 110.2%#5 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexChile: 0.145 higher | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 | 0.878#44 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaChile: 3.84× the income per person | $4,420#119 of 185 · 2025 | $16,960#61 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPChile: 5.52× the economy | $64.77B2025 | $357.37B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Chile: 2.93× the output per person | $12,873#116 of 184 · 2025 | $37,774#57 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthChile: 4.1 points higher | −1.6%#181 of 187 · 2025 | +2.5%#118 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBolivia: 15.3 points higher | +19.5%#12 of 176 · 2025 | +4.2%#51 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentChile: 3.0× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 9.0%#41 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBolivia: 5.25× the share in extreme poverty | 2.1%#73 of 149 · 2024 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Chile: 2.1 higher | 40.9#32 of 149 · 2024 | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureBolivia: 18.6 points higher | 24.7% of jobs#74 of 178 · 2025 | 6.1% of jobs#126 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryChile: 1.7 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#82 of 178 · 2025 | 21.5% of jobs#67 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesChile: 16.9 points higher | 55.5% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 72.4% of jobs#42 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentChile: 3.3 points higher | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 | 4.1% of GDP#48 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsChile: 13.2 points higher | 21.4% of GDP#129 of 168 · 2024 | 34.6% of GDP#88 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingChile: 1.26× the military spending | 1.2% of GDP#103 of 155 · 2025 | 1.5% of GDP#87 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersChile: 1.2× the share online | 80%#99 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#23 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsChile: 1.36× the mobile subscriptions | 98 per 100#131 of 191 · 2024 | 133 per 100#45 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBolivia: 2.05× the forest share | 50% of land#49 of 192 · 2024 | 25% of land#110 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personChile: 1.72× the CO₂ per person | 2.29 t a year#98 of 185 · 2024 | 3.94 t a year#65 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyChile: 11.4 points higher | 12.8%#127 of 190 · 2021 | 24.2%#94 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityChile: 2.4 points higher | 96.6%#123 of 192 · 2024 | 99.0%#112 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bolivia: 1.22× the air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 23.1 µg/m³#67 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBolivia: 9.3 points higher | 30.9% of land#30 of 191 · 2025 | 21.6% of land#73 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBolivia: 3.7 points higher | 5.6% of land#125 of 190 · 2024 | 1.9% of land#163 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressChile: 45× the water stress | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 | 9.0%#93 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationChile: 1.33× the rain and snow | 1,146 mm#81 of 180 · 2022 | 1,522 mm#56 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityChile: 0.33 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionChile: 2.29 higher | −1.19#165 of 193 · 2025 | +1.10#31 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateChile: 1.43× the homicide rate | 4.4 per 100,000#53 of 146 · 2023 | 6.3 per 100,000#43 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | — | OECD |
| Capital | La Paz | Santiago |
| Currency | Boliviano (BOB) | Chilean peso (CLP) |
| Official languages | Spanish, Quechua, Guarani, Aymara | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC−4, summer time UTC−3 · UTC−6 to UTC−3, 3 time zones |
| Calling code | +591 | +56 |
| Region | South America | South America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bolivia sits at about 17° S and is stretched to 1.09× its true area; Chile at 36° S is stretched to 1.53×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bolivia bigger than Chile?
- Yes. Bolivia is 45% larger than Chile. Bolivia covers 1,098,581 km² and Chile covers 756,102 km².
- How many times does Chile fit into Bolivia?
- About 1.5 times: Bolivia has 1.45× the area of Chile.
- Why do Bolivia and Chile look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bolivia is drawn about 1.09× its true area there and Chile about 1.53×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bolivia or Chile?
- Chile: 19,859,921 people against 12,581,843. Density: Bolivia 11 per km², Chile 26 per km².
- Which is richer, Bolivia or Chile?
- By gross national income per person, Chile: $16,960 against $4,420 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.84× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bolivia or Chile?
- In Chile: life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years, against 68.7 — 12.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bolivia and Chile have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).