Share of population living in urban areas in Chile

Chile: Share of population living in urban areas was 81.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
81.8%
World rank
75th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.8%
in 2020
All-time low
57.3%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Chile, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 57.3 %1955: 59.9 %1960: 62.6 %1965: 65.1 %1970: 67.2 %1975: 69.1 %1980: 70.8 %1985: 71.9 %1990: 72.5 %1995: 74.6 %2000: 76.7 %2005: 78.8 %2010: 80.6 %2015: 81.4 %2020: 81.8 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Chile is 81.8%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Chile peaked at 81.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 57.3%, in 1950.

That places Chile 75th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 58.6% 57.3% 59.9% 2
1960s 63.9% 62.6% 65.1% 2
1970s 68.2% 67.2% 69.1% 2
1980s 71.3% 70.8% 71.9% 2
1990s 73.5% 72.5% 74.6% 2
2000s 77.8% 76.7% 78.8% 2
2010s 81.0% 80.6% 81.4% 2
2020s 81.8% 81.8% 81.8% 1

Countries ranked near Chile

  1. 72 Australia 82.2% compare
  2. 73 Cuba 82.1% compare
  3. 74 Montenegro 81.8% compare
  4. 76 Colombia 81.5% compare
  5. 77 Puerto Rico 80.9% compare
  6. 78 Brunei 80.8% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Chile

All data for Chile →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Chile?
Share of population living in urban areas in Chile was 81.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Chile?
The highest recorded value was 81.8% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Chile?
The lowest recorded value was 57.3% in 1950.
How does Chile rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Chile ranks 75th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Chile?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.