Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Chile
Chile: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 33.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Chile, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Chile stood at 33.9%.
The figure is down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Chile peaked at 35.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 19.6%, in 1950.
That places Chile 24th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Chile, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 19.6% | — |
| 1955 | 21.1% | +7.6% |
| 1960 | 22.6% | +7.1% |
| 1965 | 23.6% | +4.4% |
| 1970 | 25.0% | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 26.6% | +6.5% |
| 1980 | 29.5% | +10.9% |
| 1985 | 31.1% | +5.7% |
| 1990 | 31.7% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 32.7% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 34.2% | +4.6% |
| 2005 | 35.0% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 34.9% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 34.5% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 33.9% | -1.8% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 33.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 15.3%, 2.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Chile's 33.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 25.6%, 1.3× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 20.4% | 19.6% | 21.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 23.1% | 22.6% | 23.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 25.8% | 25.0% | 26.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 30.3% | 29.5% | 31.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 32.2% | 31.7% | 32.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 34.6% | 34.2% | 35.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 34.7% | 34.5% | 34.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 33.9% | 33.9% | 33.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Chile
More reference data data for Chile
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9268 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2204 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 5.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 25.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.2 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Chile?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Chile was 33.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 35.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.6% in 1950.
- How does Chile rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Chile ranks 24th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chile data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.