MigrantoMigration trends in Chile
Latin America
Chile takes in more people than it loses: 1.5M immigrants against 444.5K emigrants. Net balance +1.1M — 5% of the country's population
19.8M
Population
1.5M
Immigrants
444.5K
Emigrants
+1.1M
Inflow
1 in 13 residents of Chile was born abroad — and 1 in 45 people born in Chile lives abroad
#45 in the world by net migration gain
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Chile
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
97.5K immigrants · 391K emigrants
1995
- The foreign-born population passed 100K residents
2005
- Peru overtook Argentina as the largest source of new arrivals
2010
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 58%
- The gap between arrivals and departures was cut in half
2015
- The country became a destination — more people arriving than leaving
2020
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 150%
- Venezuela overtook Peru as the largest source of new arrivals
- Roughly 1 in 20 residents was now foreign-born
- Surge of immigrants from Venezuela — 386.3K new arrivals
Today
- Slipped out of the 3 biggest immigrant destinations in Latin America
- Since 1990: 1.4M more foreign-born residents and 53.5K more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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