Population density in Chile
Chile: Population density was 26.46 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
26.46 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
176th
of 215 countries
All-time high
26.46 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
11.2 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in Chile, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in Chile is 26.46 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Chile peaked at 26.46 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 11.2 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
That places Chile 176th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in Chile, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.2 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 11.43 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 11.66 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 11.89 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 12.12 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 12.35 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 12.57 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 12.8 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 13.02 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 13.24 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 13.46 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 13.68 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 13.91 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 14.13 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 14.35 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 14.58 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 14.8 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 15.03 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 15.25 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 15.48 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 15.71 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 15.94 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 16.17 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 16.42 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 16.67 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 16.93 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 17.2 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 17.48 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 17.77 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 18.07 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 18.38 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 18.67 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 18.97 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 19.25 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 19.54 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 19.82 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 20.08 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 20.35 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 20.6 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 20.85 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 21.09 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 21.33 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 21.55 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 21.77 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 21.99 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 22.2 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 22.42 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 22.65 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 22.88 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 23.11 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 23.34 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 23.56 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 23.79 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 24.09 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 24.33 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 24.61 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 25 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 25.45 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 25.84 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 26.08 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 26.19 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 26.32 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 26.46 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.12 people per sq. km of land area | 11.2 people per sq. km of land area | 13.02 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 14.24 people per sq. km of land area | 13.24 people per sq. km of land area | 15.25 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.58 people per sq. km of land area | 15.48 people per sq. km of land area | 17.77 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.37 people per sq. km of land area | 18.07 people per sq. km of land area | 20.6 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.87 people per sq. km of land area | 20.85 people per sq. km of land area | 22.88 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.31 people per sq. km of land area | 23.11 people per sq. km of land area | 25.84 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.26 people per sq. km of land area | 26.08 people per sq. km of land area | 26.46 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near Chile
- 173 Solomon Islands 28.58 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 174 Zambia 27.88 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 175 Sudan 26.79 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 177 Peru 26.44 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 178 Vanuatu 26.28 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 179 Sweden 25.87 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Chile
- Population in the largest city 39.5% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 23.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.3524 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 7.00 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.6979 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 9.29 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 7.00 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 2.02 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 217.31 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Chile?
- Population density in Chile was 26.46 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 26.46 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Chile rank for population density?
- Chile ranks 176th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chile data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.