How many people live in Chile right now?
Right now, according to UN estimates
19,971,250
| Today | In 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | · | · |
| Deaths | · | · |
| Net migration | · | · |
| Growth | · | · |
2026 figures
- Rank by population
- 67 of 237
- Share of world population
- 0.24%
- Median age
- 37.4 years
- Children per woman
- 1.12
- Life expectancy
- 81.7 years
- People per km²
- 27
According to UN estimates, about 20.0 million people live in Chile right now. It ranks 67th out of 237 countries and territories by population, between Somalia and Senegal, and it is home to one in every 417 people on the planet.
Every day, about 460 people are born there and about 370 die. More people arrive than leave: net migration adds about 48,100 people a year. Overall, the population grows by about 230 people a day (0.41% a year).
In 1950, about 6.6 million people lived there. Today there are 3.0 times as many. The UN expects it to peak around 2041, at about 20.5 million, and then begin to fall. By 2050 it is projected to have about 20.3 million people (2% more than today), and by 2100 about 13.4 million.
Half of its people are younger than 37 (worldwide, 31). Women have an average of 1.12 children each, below the 2.1 needed for each generation to replace the one before, and life expectancy at birth is 82 years (worldwide, 74). There are 27 people per square kilometer.
UN estimates up to today and projections (medium variant) from today onward.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Chile in 2026?
- Chile has about 20.0 million people right now, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024. On July 1, 2026, there were 19,945,850.
- How many people are born each day in Chile?
- About 460 a day (169,000 a year). About 370 people die each day (135,000 a year).
- Is the population of Chile growing?
- Yes: it grows by 0.41% a year, or about 82,200 people.
- What will the population of Chile be in 2050?
- According to the UN projection (medium variant), about 20.3 million, with a peak around 2041 at about 20.5 million.
- Why doesn't this figure match the country's official statistics?
- The UN estimates the population of every country with the same method, based on censuses, surveys and registers, and projects it year by year. Each national statistics office uses its own censuses and registers, which may be more up to date or count foreign residents differently. That is why the figures can differ slightly.
Countries with a similar population
- Chad 21,753,301
- Kazakhstan 21,157,007
- Somalia 20,510,550
- Senegal 19,505,060
- Guatemala 19,055,602
- Romania 18,765,997
More countries in the Americas
- United States 349,570,793
- Brazil 213,783,613
- Mexico 133,319,899
- Colombia 54,089,699
- Argentina 46,051,067
- Canada 40,567,079
- Peru 35,027,447
- Venezuela 28,673,198
- Guatemala 19,055,602
- Ecuador 18,493,716
- Bolivia 12,801,730
- Haiti 12,078,625
All countries and territories →
Where these figures come from
The figures are estimates from the United Nations Population Division, published in World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant): the reference used by international organizations and by most population counters. The UN estimates how many people there are on July 1 of each year and how many are born, die and migrate; between one date and the next, this counter spreads the change continuously, second by second.
It is not a real-time headcount: nobody can count every person in a country at once. It is the best available estimate, and it may differ slightly from the figures of each country's statistics office, which use their own censuses and population registers.