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Chile: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated · UN World Population Prospects

Chile has a population of 19,945,850 (UN estimate, 2026), with Santiago as its capital. The 50 largest of its 283 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+29%
since 2000 (15,503,635)
+2%
projected by 2050 (20,320,306)
26
people per km²
19501975200020252050 6.6M 20.3M
UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.
Full UN series, 1950 to 2050
YearPopulation
19506,628,577
197510,671,559
200015,503,635
200516,348,778
201017,181,464
201518,047,625
202019,370,624
202519,859,921
202619,945,850
2030 projected20,233,183
2050 projected20,320,306

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Chile

#PlaceRegionPopulation
1SantiagoSantiago Metropolitan4,837,295
2Puente AltoSantiago Metropolitan568,106
3MaipúSantiago Metropolitan503,635
4AntofagastaAntofagasta401,096
5Viña del MarValparaiso334,248
6ValparaísoValparaiso282,448
7San BernardoSantiago Metropolitan249,858
8Puerto MonttLos Lagos Region245,902
9AricaArica y Parinacota Region241,653
10PeñalolénSantiago Metropolitan241,599
11TemucoAraucania238,129
12ConcepciónBiobio223,574
13RancaguaO'Higgins Region212,695
14QuilicuraSantiago Metropolitan210,410
15La PintanaSantiago Metropolitan201,178
16IquiqueTarapacá199,587
17TalcaMaule Region197,479
18CalamaAntofagasta166,334
19CoquimboCoquimbo Region161,317
20La SerenaCoquimbo Region154,521
21TalcahuanoBiobio150,499
22ChillánÑuble150,396
23RencaSantiago Metropolitan147,151
24ColinaSantiago Metropolitan146,207
25Alto HospicioTarapacá142,086
26OsornoLos Lagos Region135,773
27ValdiviaLos Ríos Region133,419
28Villa MercedesBiobio131,936
29QuilpuéValparaiso130,263
30CopiapóAtacama129,280
31Los ÁngelesBiobio125,430
32San Pedro de la PazBiobio121,631
33Punta ArenasRegion of Magallanes117,430
34CoronelBiobio107,759
35Lo PradoSantiago Metropolitan104,316
36CuricóMaule Region102,438
37LampaSantiago Metropolitan102,234
38Villa AlemanaValparaiso97,320
39San AntonioValparaiso87,675
40HualpénBiobio86,639
41PeñaflorSantiago Metropolitan85,671
42ChiguayanteBiobio84,718
43OvalleCoquimbo Region77,138
44Padre Las CasasAraucania72,892
45PaineSantiago Metropolitan72,759
46LinaresMaule Region69,535
47QuillotaValparaiso67,779
48BuinSantiago Metropolitan63,419
49Padre HurtadoSantiago Metropolitan63,250
50MelipillaSantiago Metropolitan63,100

Twenty years earlier: Chile in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 15,514,014.

Common questions

What is the population of Chile?
Chile has a population of 19,945,850, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 20,320,306 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Chile?
Santiago.

Go deeper

Santiago
The largest place we record in Chile: 4,837,295 people
Chile in 2005
The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 15,514,014 then
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