Living in Chile

About the country

Chile is a long and narrow country located in the Southwest extreme of South America. It has a population of almost 17 million. Two thirds of the population is concentrated in the central zone. Santiago is the Chilean capital.

Chile's boundaries are geographically well defined: to the west is the Pacific Ocean; to the east the Andes mountains; to the north is the Atacama desert, the driest in the World; and to the south are the ice fields and glaciers of Chilean Patagonia. There are wide variations of soil and climate between these features. Overall the climate is temperate with a desert climate in the north, a Mediterranean climate in the central region and cool and damp in the south. Chile shares frontiers with Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. Its 4,500km coastline includes an amazing assortment of archipelagos and channels south of Puerto Montt. Although Chile is 4,329km long, at no point is it wider than 180km. Chile's sovereign territory includes some Pacific islands, among them Easter Island, and it has a claim to a sector of Antarctica.

Chile has a republican system of government consisting of 3 separate and independent branches: the Executive Branch, which is headed by the President, who in turn is advised by a Cabinet of (un-elected) Ministers; the Legislative Branch, which consists of a bicameral National Congress located in the Coastal city of Valparaíso and comprising the Senate and Chamber of Deputies; and the Judicial Branch, headed by the Supreme Court. These institutions are defined in the 1980 Constitution (amended 2005). The President is directly elected for a 4-year term.

Economic overview

Spurred on by an early commitment to market-oriented reform and international openness, Chile became the first Latin American country to privatise state enterprises (steel, airlines, electricity, and water – among others), slash tariffs through several Free Trade Agreements, liberalise investment and open its doors to foreign capital.

This, combined with tight fiscal and monetary policies, led to over 10 consecutive years of record growth, averaging 7% per year between 2000-2005 and around 4% between 2006-2008, helped by high copper prices, Chile’s principal export. In the last few years inflation has ranged from -0.9% (first three quarters of 2009) through to 3.7% in 2005 and 7.1% in 2008.  

As with other countries in the region, the global economic crisis hit Chile in 2008. GDP grew by 3.5%, falling short of the Chilean Central Bank’s forecast of between 4.5% and 5.5%. The annual rate reflects a sharp drop in the last quarter of 2008 when GDP growth decreased to 1.5%. The Central Bank forecast for 2009 is 2% for 2009. Average private forecasts suggest that Chilean GDP will only rise by 1.5% in 2009. But real figures show that in the second quarter the economy contracted by 4.5% and in the first by 2.3%.

In the last 10 years Chile has signed Free Trade Agreements with Australia, Canada, China, Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua), EFTA, Japan, Mexico, Panama, South Korea and the United States. Additionally, Chile has entered into economic association agreements with the European Union; partial scope agreement with India and it also has economic complementary agreements with Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. It is also an associate member of Mercosur. This network provides access to almost 1.2 billion consumers world-wide and has made Chile an attractive export platform.

British citizens in Chile

There is not exact information on how many British citizens live in Chile. However, around 2,000 British nationals have registered with the Consulate in Santiago. In 2008, the FCO set up a new improved online registration service called LOCATE for British nationals travelling or living abroad to register themselves with the FCO. So, if you are a British national who resides in Chile, or if you are visiting the country, it is advisable that you register your presence. You will find all the information in the Consular registration section of this website. This will allow us to keep in touch with you and provide consular assistance in the event of an emergency. The data you file is confidential and will only be used for the purposes stated above.

Besides the Consular Section in Santiago, the British Embassy has Honorary Consulates that look after British interests in general and carry out a number of consular services in the district where they are based. There are five Honorary Consulates in Chile located in Arica, Easter Island, Valparaíso, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas.

There is also network of organisations with British connections that operate in the country. They hold many events throughout the year and some of them have a close connection with the Embassy and the Honorary Consulates in the regions.  You may visit the Anglo-Chilean Community page to find out more information about these organisations.

If you are visiting Chile

Around 50,000 British tourists visit Chile every year. Most visits are trouble-free. The main type of incident for which British nationals required consular assistance in Chile in 2009 was for replacing lost and stolen passports. Pickpocketing, other thefts and muggings are also common and have been on the increase. If you are travelling to Chile, we recommend that you read the Travel Advice prepared by the FCO.

There are good health facilities in Santiago and the major cities, but private clinics and hospitals are expensive. Air pollution in Santiago during winter (June-September) is a major problem. You may therefore suffer from eye irritation and respiratory problems.

Last updated: April 2010.