Population and Demographics of Chile
An aging population · 14.14% aged 65 or older in 2024
The working-age group represents 68.89% of Chile's population, with children under 15 representing 16.97% of the total. Compared with 2000, the 2024 population is 27.5% larger, showing the scale of the longer shift. That context matters for the outlook: the 2050 medium projection is 20.32 million, 2.8% higher than in 2024.
Population Over Time in Chile
Since 2000, Chile's population has grown from 15.504M to 19.765M, a net shift of about 4.26 million. For 2050, the medium projection is 20.320M. That is a difference of about 0.56 million people from the 2024 estimate. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Looking beyond the headline population number, Chile's 2024 age structure is maturing. Children under 15 account for 16.97% of residents, people 65+ for 14.14%, and the 15 to 64 group for 68.89%. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
Chile's 2024 population is 50.3% female and 49.7% male in the World Bank series. The split is close to even.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.3% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.7% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
For Chile, the latest annual population movement is +0.54%, compared with fertility of 1.1, within a population where the under-15 and 65-plus shares differ by 2.83 percentage points.
By 2024, Chile had shifted +27.5% from its 2000 population level, while the 2050 medium projection is 2.8% above 2024; this profile does not infer unobserved migration or natural-change components.
2024 estimate for Chile. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Chile vs. World
Against the 2024 world benchmarks, Chile's annual population change was lower than the global pace, fertility was below the world level, and its population was older than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | Chile | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.54% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.1 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 36 | 30.6 | 2024 |
To keep the comparison defensible, all three indicators come from one harmonized 2024 table that attributes the demographic series to UN WPP 2024.
Key Takeaways
Chile has 19,764,771 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing +0.54% over the year.
Broad age shares show 14.14% aged 65+ compared with 16.97% under 15; the 15 to 64 group accounts for 68.89%.
The 2024 female and male shares are 50.3% and 49.7% respectively.
The 2050 medium projection is 20.320M, 2.8% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Chile?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Chile is 19,764,771 people.
Is the population of Chile growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Chile's population is growing, with annual change of +0.54%.
What percentage of the population of Chile is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 14.14% of Chile's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Chile in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Chile's 2050 population at 20,320,306.
What is the fertility rate in Chile?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Chile is 1.1 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.