Chile

Chile is a long, narrow nation on the western edge of South America, running from the arid Atacama Desert in the north to the icy fjords and glaciers of Patagonia in the south. Its geography spans desert, mountains, valleys and ocean, and its administrative reach extends into the Pacific with territories such as Easter Island (Rapa Nui). This profile gives you the stable identifiers, shows you how to verify current figures, and distinguishes statistical grouping from territorial claims.

Classification facts

The following facts are stable and maintained by international standards bodies. They describe Chile’s statistical identity, not its territorial or governance claims.

Attribute	Value
UN M49 code	152
ISO alpha-2	CL
ISO alpha-3	CHL
UN region	Americas
UN subregion	Latin America and the Caribbean
UN membership	Member state
World Bank capital field	Santiago

The UN M49 grouping is a statistical framework maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division. It organises nations and territories for data-collection purposes, not for recognition or sovereignty claims. The World Bank uses the same M49 codes in its country API, which is a useful way to confirm basic identifiers. See the UN M49 overview and the World Bank country API at ` for the authoritative machine-readable list.

Chile at a glance

Chile is a long, narrow nation in South America, grouped by the United Nations under M49 code 152, with ISO codes CL (alpha-2) and CHL (alpha-3). It is a UN member state in the Americas region, subregion Latin America and the Caribbean. The World Bank lists Santiago as the capital. These facts come from the UN M49 overview and the World Bank country API; both are stable reference points that do not change with election cycles or economic news.

What this profile does and does not do

This profile gives you a stable research starting point for Chile: the codes, groupings and the institutions that publish the authoritative numbers. It does not attempt to freeze volatile data like inhabitant counts, GDP or visa rules, because those change and because different agencies define them differently. Instead, you get the source to check and the year to look for.

For real-time travel advice, visa requirements or safety conditions, do not rely on this profile. Check your own government’s travel advisory and the IATA Travel Centre.

How to verify current figures

The figures for Chile change every year. Rather than freezing a number here, this section names the sources that publish the current values and explains why the numbers differ depending on who counts and how.

Inhabitant counts

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs publishes annual estimates and projections for Chile. The World Bank’s country page and the Chilean national statistics institute (Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas, INE) publish their own figures. These three sources will not match exactly because they use different reference dates, definitions of residence and projection methods. For the most recent estimate, check the UN World Population Prospects and the World Bank country profile. The national census is the primary source, but it is conducted only every 10 years in Chile and can undercount remote or informal settlements. Always cite the reference year and the institution that produced the number.

Capital and administrative geography

Santiago is the capital of Chile. This is a stable administrative fact; the World Bank capital field lists Santiago. The seat of government is also in Santiago, and the city is the nation’s largest urban centre. No territorial dispute affects the capital’s status. For metro-area figures, use the UN’s World Urbanization Prospects, which publishes estimates for the Santiago metropolitan area and updates them annually.

Chile also claims territory in Antarctica (the Chilean Antarctic Territory), which overlaps with claims by Argentina and the United Kingdom; the Antarctic Treaty suspends sovereignty claims. The nation also administers the Juan Fernández Islands, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and other Pacific islands; these are integral parts of Chile, not dependent territories.

Official languages

Spanish is the official language of Chile. The state also recognises several indigenous languages, including Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua and Rapa Nui, in areas where those communities live. For legal texts and official documents, the INE and the Chilean government publish in Spanish; there is no separate official language code at the national level beyond Spanish. IANA language subtags for Spanish (es) and Chile-specific variants (es-CL) are listed in the IANA Language Subtag Registry.

Currency

The currency is the Chilean peso (CLP), managed by the Central Bank of Chile.

Government and economy

Chile is a unitary presidential republic. The 1980 constitution has been reformed multiple times; a new constitution-drafting process is ongoing, so the exact legal framework is subject to change. The World Bank classifies Chile as a high-income economy (World Bank, FY2025 income classifications). For current GDP, GDP per capita, growth and inflation figures, use the World Bank country API. For economic projections, IMF Article IV reports are the reference. For rights and civil liberties scores, Freedom House’s Freedom in the World report provides country-specific scores and methodology.

Historical notes

Chile declared independence from Spain in 1818. The 1973 coup led by Augusto Pinochet and the subsequent military dictatorship (1973-1990) remain a central part of modern memory and institutional design. Chile’s return to democracy in 1990 marked a transition that shaped its current governance system. The 2022 rejection of a proposed new constitution and the 2023 rejection of a second draft show ongoing institutional negotiation rather than a settled consensus. These are historical facts, not endorsements.

Context and trade

Chile lies along the western edge of South America between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east and the Drake Passage to the south. Its territory includes Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in the Pacific, and it is one of the world’s most seismically active nations, lying on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

World Bank income grouping: High-income (as of the fiscal year 2024 classification). Human Development Index: 0.860 (very high, 2022, UNDP). Gini index: 44.9 (World Bank, 2020), indicating high inequality. Main export partners (2022, World Bank): China, United States, Japan, South Korea, Brazil. Main import partners (2022): China, United States, Brazil, Argentina, Germany.