Full History Of Chile In Timeline From 1902

1902: Finalization of borders with Argentina

In 1902, Chile's current borders with Argentina were finalized through British arbitration.

1904: Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Bolivia

In 1904, Chile and Bolivia signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship which clarified the border between both countries.

1924: Military coup led by General Luis Altamirano

In 1924, a military coup led by General Luis Altamirano set off a period of political instability in Chile.

1925: Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ruled as dictator

In 1925, General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo briefly ruled as de facto dictator.

1925: Separation of church and state

In 1925, a new Constitution established the separation of church and state.

1927: Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ruled as dictator again

Between 1927 and 1931, General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ruled as de facto dictator again.

1931: Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ruled as dictator until 1931

Between 1927 and 1931, General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ruled as de facto dictator.

1932: Restoration of constitutional rule

In 1932, constitutional rule was restored, and the Radical Party emerged as a key force in coalition governments.

1932: End of political instability period

In 1932, the period of political instability that started in 1924 came to an end.

1937: Anita Lizana wins US Open

In 1937, Anita Lizana won the US Open, becoming the first woman from Latin America to win a Grand Slam tournament.

June 1945: Chile becomes a founding member of the United Nations

On 26 June 1945, Chile participated as a founding member of the United Nations, being among 50 countries that signed the United Nations Charter in San Francisco, California.

1945: Gabriela Mistral receives Nobel Prize

Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945.

1950: FIBA World Championship

In 1950, Chile earned a bronze medal in the first men's FIBA World Championship.

1952: Ibáñez del Campo returned to office

In 1952, voters returned Ibáñez del Campo to office for another six years.

1953: FIBA World Championship for Women

In 1953, Chile hosted the first FIBA World Championship for Women, finishing the tournament with the silver medal.

1958: Alessandri succeeded Ibáñez del Campo

In 1958, Jorge Alessandri succeeded Ibáñez del Campo, bringing Chilean conservatism back into power democratically.

1959: FIBA World Championship

In 1959, Chile hosted the FIBA World Championship where the national team won a second bronze medal.

1962: 1962 FIFA World Cup

In 1962, Chile hosted the FIFA World Cup where the national football team finished third.

1964: Presidential election of Eduardo Frei Montalva

In 1964, Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Montalva's presidential election initiated a period of major reform.

1967: Increasing opposition to Frei's reforms

By 1967, Eduardo Frei encountered increasing opposition from leftists and conservatives regarding his reforms.

1970: Salvador Allende achieved a partial majority

In the 1970 election, Senator Salvador Allende of the Socialist Party of Chile achieved a partial majority in a plurality of votes.

1970: Kissinger's statement upon Allende's election

Upon Allende's election in 1970, Henry Kissinger stated "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go Communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people".

1971: Pablo Neruda receives Nobel Prize

In 1971, Pablo Neruda received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

1972: Economic depression and socialist measures

In 1972, Chile faced an economic depression exacerbated by capital flight and plummeting private investment, leading Allende to adopt measures such as price freezes, wage increases, and tax reforms.

1972: Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage

In 1972, the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was established.

May 1973: Supreme Court denounces Allende's government

On May 26, 1973, Chile's Supreme Court unanimously denounced Allende's disruption of the legality of the nation.

September 1973: Chilean national police incorporated into Defense Ministry

After the military coup in September 1973, the Chilean national police (Carabineros) were incorporated into the Defense Ministry.

September 1973: Military coup and Allende's death

On September 11, 1973, a military coup overthrew Salvador Allende, who apparently committed suicide.

October 1973: Murders by the Caravan of Death

In October 1973, at least 72 people were murdered by the Caravan of Death during the Pinochet regime.

1973: Chilean coup d'état

In 1973, the Chilean coup d'état occurred, overthrowing Salvador Allende's democratically elected left-wing government.

1973: Military coup leads to political isolation

With the military coup of 1973, Chile became isolated politically as a result of widespread human rights abuses.

1976: Davis Cup final

In 1976, Chile played the Davis Cup final against Italy.

1978: Administrative division into regions

In 1978 Chile was administratively divided into regions.

1979: Subdivision into provinces and communes

In 1979 Chile was subdivided into provinces and these into communes.

1979: Creation of the National Health Fund (Fonasa)

In 1979, the National Health Fund (Fonasa) was created as the financial entity entrusted to collect, manage and distribute state funds for health in Chile.

September 1980: Approval of new Constitution

On September 11, 1980, a new Constitution was approved by a controversial plebiscite, and General Pinochet became president of the republic for an eight-year term.

1980: Ratification of the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage

In 1980, Chile ratified the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972.

1980: 1980 Chilean Constitution made

In 1980, the Chilean Constitution was made with the consultancy of the Ortúzar Commission.

1980: Constitution drafted by Jaime Guzmán

In 1980, the current Constitution of Chile was drafted by Jaime Guzmán and subsequently approved via a national plebiscite under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

March 1981: Constitution enters into force

In March 1981, the Constitution of Chile drafted by Jaime Guzmán in 1980 entered into force under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

1982: Economic collapse

In the late 1980s, largely as a result of events such as the 1982 economic collapse, the government gradually permitted greater freedom of assembly, speech, and association.

1983: Mass civil resistance

In the late 1980s, largely as a result of events such as mass civil resistance in 1983–88, the government gradually permitted greater freedom of assembly, speech, and association.

1984: Ancestry composition

In 1984, a study determined Chile's ancestry composition to be 67.9% European and 32.1% Native American.

1987: Poverty rate at 45.1%

In 1987, the percentage of Chileans with per capita household incomes below the poverty line was 45.1%.

October 1988: Pinochet denied a second term

On October 5, 1988, Pinochet was denied a second eight-year term as president in a plebiscite.

1988: Pinochet's defeat in plebiscite

After Pinochet's defeat in the 1988 plebiscite, the constitution was amended to ease provisions for future amendments to the Constitution.

1988: Referendum against Pinochet

In 1988, a referendum denied Pinochet a second eight-year term as president.

1988: Privatization of the telephone system

Privatization of the telephone system in Chile began in 1988.

December 1989: Election of new president and congress

On December 14, 1989, Chileans elected a new president and the majority of members of a bicameral congress.

1989: Start of the binominal system

For parliamentary elections, between 1989 and 2013 the binominal system was used, which promoted the establishment of two majority political blocs -Concertación and Alliance- at the expense of the exclusion of non-majority political groups.

1989: Adoption of ILO Convention 169

In 1989, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention was adopted as the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 169.

1990: Decreasing population growth

Chile's rate of population growth has been decreasing since 1990, due to a declining birth rate.

1990: End of Pinochet's regime

In 1990, the right-wing military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet ended, following a referendum in 1988, and was succeeded by a center-left coalition.

1990: Aylwin served as president

President Aylwin served from 1990 to 1994, in what was considered a transition period.

1990: Return to democracy

Since its return to democracy in 1990, Chile has been an active participant in the international political arena.

1992: Foreign-born population

According to the 2002 national census, Chile's foreign-born population had increased by 75% since 1992.

December 1993: Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle led Concertación to victory

In December 1993, Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle led the Concertación coalition to victory with an absolute majority of votes.

1994: Biological study

In 1994, a biological study determined that the Chilean composition was 64% European and 35% Amerindian.

1994: End of Aylwin's term

President Aylwin served from 1990 to 1994, in what was considered a transition period.

1995: Identification of possible endemic fungal species

Although the amount of available information is still very small, a first effort has been made to estimate the number of fungal species endemic to Chile, and 1995 species have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the country.

1995: Rapa Nui National Park

In 1995, Rapa Nui National Park became a World Heritage Site.

1998: Marcelo Ríos reaches number one in ATP rankings

In 1998, Marcelo Ríos became the first Latin American man to reach the number one spot in the ATP singles rankings.

1999: Moderate economic downturn begins

Chile began to experience a moderate economic downturn in 1999.

1999: Cultural Heritage Day was established

In 1999, Cultural Heritage Day was established as a way to honour and commemorate Chile's cultural heritage. It is an official national event celebrated in May every year.

1999: Law on religion

In 1999, a law on religion prohibits religious discrimination.

2000: Ricardo Lagos won the presidency

In 2000, Socialist Ricardo Lagos won the presidency in an unprecedented runoff election.

2000: Churches of Chiloé

In 2000, the Churches of Chiloé became a World Heritage Site.

2000: Bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics

The national football team won a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

2002: National poll

A 2002 national poll revealed that a majority of Chileans believed they possessed some (43.4%) or much (8.3%) "indigenous blood", while 40.3% responded that they had none.

2002: Population in urban areas

According to the 2002 census, the largest agglomerations were Greater Santiago with 5.6 million people, Greater Concepción with 861,000 and Greater Valparaíso with 824,000.

2002: Increase in foreign-born population

According to the 2002 national census, Chile's foreign-born population had increased by 75% since 1992.

2002: Ethnic composition

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, as of the year 2002, only 22% of Chileans were white and 72% were mestizo.

2002: Religion census of 2002

As of 2012, 66.6% of the Chilean population over 15 years of age claimed to adhere to the Roman Catholic church, a decrease from the 70% reported in the 2002 census.

2002: Defense Ministerial of the Americas hosted

Chile hosted the Defense Ministerial of the Americas in 2002.

2003: Signing of FTA with the United States

In 2003, Chile signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, which would later be implemented in January 2004.

2003: World Team Cup clay tournament

In 2003, Chile's national tennis team won the World Team Cup clay tournament.

2003: Historical district of Valparaíso

In 2003, the historical district of the port city of Valparaíso became a World Heritage Site.

2003: Economy shows signs of recovery

The economy remained sluggish until 2003, when it began to show clear signs of recovery, achieving 4.0% GDP growth.

January 2004: Implementation of FTA with the United States

In January 2004, Chile implemented a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. Internal Government of Chile figures show that even when factoring out inflation and the recent high price of copper, bilateral trade between the U.S. and Chile has grown over 60% since then.

2004: Summer Olympics gold and bronze medals

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Chile captured gold and bronze in men's singles and gold in men's doubles (Nicolás Massú obtained two gold medals).

2004: Santiago urban highways network

Between 2004 and 2006, the Santiago urban highways network was opened.

2004: APEC summit hosted

Chile hosted the APEC summit and related meetings in 2004.

2004: World Team Cup clay tournament

In 2004, Chile's national tennis team won the World Team Cup clay tournament.

2004: GDP growth of 6%

The Chilean economy finished 2004 with growth of 6%.

January 2005: Chile completes UN Security Council term

In January 2005, Chile completed a two-year non-permanent position on the UN Security Council.

April 2005: Community of Democracies ministerial hosted

Chile hosted the Community of Democracies ministerial in April 2005.

May 2005: Jose Miguel Insulza elected Secretary General of the Organization of American States

In May 2005, Jose Miguel Insulza, a Chilean national, was elected Secretary General of the Organization of American States.

June 2005: Overhaul of criminal justice system completed

In June 2005, Chile completed a nationwide overhaul of its criminal justice system. The reform has replaced inquisitorial proceedings with an adversarial system.

September 2005: Constitutional amendments signed into law

In September 2005, President Ricardo Lagos signed into law several constitutional amendments passed by Congress. These include eliminating the positions of appointed senators and senators for life, granting the President authority to remove the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces, and reducing the presidential term from six to four years.

November 2005: Campaign launch

In November 2005, the Chilean government launched a campaign under the brand "Chile: All Ways Surprising" intended to promote the country internationally for both business and tourism.

2005: Exports to Asia

In 2005, Chile's exports to Asia increased from US$15.2 billion.

2005: Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works

In 2005, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works became a World Heritage Site.

2005: Canonization of Alberto Hurtado

In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI canonized Alberto Hurtado, who became the country's second native Roman Catholic saint after Teresa de los Andes.

2005: Tourism growth

In 2005, tourism in Chile grew by 13.6%, generating more than 4.5 billion dollars of which 1.5 billion was attributed to foreign tourists.

2005: Real GDP growth reaches 5.7%

Real GDP growth reached 5.7% in 2005.

January 2006: Chile elected its first female president

In January 2006, Chileans elected their first female president, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, of the Socialist Party.

2006: Santiago urban highways network

Between 2004 and 2006, the Santiago urban highways network was opened.

2006: Gold production

Between 2006 and 2017, Chile's gold production varied. Starting in 2006, Chile produced annual amounts ranging from 35.9 tonnes in 2017 to 51.3 tonnes in 2013.

2006: Highest nominal GDP per capita in Latin America

In 2006, Chile became the country with the highest nominal GDP per capita in Latin America.

2006: Public debt

In 2006, the Government of Chile continued to pay down its foreign debt, with public debt only 3.9% of GDP at the end of 2006.

2006: Mining city Sewell

In 2006, the mining city Sewell became a World Heritage Site.

2006: Real GDP growth falls to 4%

Real GDP growth fell back to 4% in 2006.

March 2007: Air Force takes delivery of F-16s

In March 2007 the Air Force took delivery of the final two of ten F-16s, all purchased from the U.S., after several decades of U.S. debate and previous refusal to sell. Chile also took delivery in 2007 of a number of reconditioned Block 15 F-16s from the Netherlands, bringing to 18 the total of F-16s purchased from the Dutch.

November 2007: Ibero-American Summit hosted

Chile hosted the Ibero-American Summit in November 2007.

2007: Agriculture contribution to GDP

As of 2007, agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for only 4.9% of Chile's GDP and employed 13.6% of the country's labor force.

2007: GDP expands by 5%

GDP expanded by 5% in 2007.

2007: Creation of two new regions

The creation of two new regions in 2007, Arica and Parinacota (XV) and Los Ríos (XIV), and a third region in 2018, Ñuble (XVI) made this numbering lose its original order meaning.

2008: Chile's ambassador chairs IAEA board

Chile is currently serving on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors, and the 2007–2008 chair of the board is Chile's ambassador to the IAEA, Milenko E. Skoknic.

2008: Ratification of ILO Convention 169

Chile ratified the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, also known as the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 169, in 2008.

2008: Economic stimulus plan announced

Faced with the 2008 financial crisis, the government announced an economic stimulus plan to spur employment and growth.

2008: Silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Fernando González won a silver medal in singles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

2008: World Polo Championship

In 2008, Chile achieved top prize in the World Polo Championship.

November 2009: Landmark ruling on indigenous rights

A Chilean court decision in November 2009, considered to be a landmark ruling on indigenous rights, made use of the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989.

2009: Expansion aimed despite recession

Despite the Great Recession, the government aimed for an expansion of between 2% and 3% of GDP for 2009.

2009: Jose Miguel Insulza re-elected Secretary General

In May 2005, Jose Miguel Insulza, a Chilean national, was elected Secretary General of the Organization of American States and confirmed in his position, being re-elected in 2009.

2009: Renewable energy collaboration

Since 2009, Chile has collaborated with the United States Department of Energy to encourage the use of renewable energy in the forms of wind and solar energy.

2009: Dakar Rally

Since 2009, the Dakar Rally off-road automobile race has been held in both Chile and Argentina.

2009: Poverty rate falls to 11.5%

The percentage of Chileans with per capita household incomes below the poverty line—defined as twice the cost of satisfying a person's minimal nutritional needs—fell from 45.1% in 1987 to 11.5% in 2009, according to government surveys.

January 2010: Sebastián Piñera elected as President

In January 2010, Chileans elected Sebastián Piñera as the first rightist President in 20 years.

February 2010: Chile struck by earthquake and tsunami

On February 27, 2010, Chile was struck by an 8.8 Mw earthquake, followed by a tsunami, resulting in more than 500 deaths and over a million people losing their homes.

May 2010: Chile joins the OECD

In May 2010 Chile became the first South American country to join the OECD.

August 2010: San José mine collapse

On 5 August 2010, the access tunnel collapsed at the San José copper and gold mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó in northern Chile, trapping 33 men 700 meters below ground.

October 2010: Rescue of trapped miners

On 13 October 2010, all 33 miners trapped in the San José mine were rescued over a period of almost 24 hours. The rescue was broadcasted live around the world.

2010: Chile joins the OECD

In 2010, Chile joined the OECD.

2010: End of center-left coalition rule

In 2010, the center-left coalition that had ruled Chile since 1990 was replaced.

2011: Re-elected to UN Human Rights Council

Chile was re-elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 for a three-year term.

2011: Recognition of additional victims of Pinochet's regime

In 2011, Chile recognized an additional 9,800 victims of the Pinochet regime, bringing the total number killed, tortured, or imprisoned for political reasons to 40,018.

2011: Universidad de Chile wins Copa Sudamericana

In 2011, Universidad de Chile was the last international champion after winning the Copa Sudamericana.

2011: Airport traffic

In 2011, the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (Santiago) had a traffic of 12,105,524 passengers.

2011: Latinobarómetro survey

The 2011 Latinobarómetro survey asked respondents in Chile what race they considered themselves to belong to. Most answered "White" (59%), while 25% said "Mestizo" and 8% self-classified as "indigenous".

November 2012: 64% of the population benefits from government welfare programs

As of November 2012, about 11.1 million people (64% of the population) benefit from government welfare programs, via the "Social Protection Card", which includes the population living in poverty and those at a risk of falling into poverty.

2012: Internet penetration

According to a 2012 database of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 61.42% of the Chilean population uses the internet, making Chile the country with the highest internet penetration in South America.

2012: Religion census of 2012

As of 2012, 66.6% of the Chilean population over 15 years of age claimed to adhere to the Roman Catholic church, a decrease from the 70% reported in the 2002 census. In the same census of 2012, 17% of Chileans reported adherence to an Evangelical church.

2012: Telephone lines in use

In 2012, Chile had 3.276 million main telephone lines in use and 24.13 million mobile cellular telephone subscribers.

2012: First Paralympic Games medal

In 2012, Chile won its first Paralympic Games medal (gold in Athletics).

2012: Net creditor

In 2012, the Chilean central government was a net creditor with a net asset position of 7% of GDP at end 2012, with 14% of central government revenue coming directly from copper.

2012: Real GDP growth of 5.5%

Real GDP growth in 2012 was 5.5%.

July 2013: Considered a high-income economy

Since July 2013, Chile is considered by the World Bank as a "high-income economy".

2013: Elected to UN Security Council

Chile was also elected to one of five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council in 2013.

2013: Piñera not standing for re-election

Due to term limits, Sebastián Piñera did not stand for re-election in 2013.

2013: End of the binominal system

For parliamentary elections, between 1989 and 2013 the binominal system was used, which promoted the establishment of two majority political blocs -Concertación and Alliance- at the expense of the exclusion of non-majority political groups.

2013: Growth slows to 4.1%

Growth slowed to 4.1% in the first quarter of 2013.

2013: Gold production

In 2013, Chile produced 51.3 tonnes of gold.

2013: Current account deficit

In the first quarter of 2013, Chile's current account deficit was 4%, financed mostly by foreign direct investment.

March 2014: Michelle Bachelet returning to office

In March 2014, Michelle Bachelet returned to office after Sebastián Piñera's term expired.

2014: Electricity consumption

In 2014, Chile's electricity consumption was 68.90 TWh. Main sources of electricity in Chile are hydroelectricity, gas, oil and coal.

2015: World Polo Championship

In 2015, Chile achieved top prize in the World Polo Championship.

2015: Gold production

In 2015, Chile's gold production was 43 metric tonnes.

2015: Genetic composition

In 2015, another study established Chile's genetic composition as 57% European, 38% Native American, and 2.5% African.

2015: Religion in Chile

In 2015, the major religion in Chile remained Christianity (68%), with an estimated 55% of Chileans belonging to the Roman Catholic church, 13% to various Evangelical churches, and just 7% adhering to any other religion. Agnostics and atheists were estimated at 25% of the population.

2015: Copa América title

In 2015, the national football team won a Copa América title.

2015: Approval of moderate proportional electoral system

The opponents of the binominal system approved in 2015 a moderate proportional electoral system that has been in force since the 2017 parliamentary elections, allowing the entry of new parties and coalitions.

2016: Baháʼí mother temple completion

In 2016, the Baháʼí mother temple, or continental House of Worship, for Latin America was completed, serving as a space for people of all religions and backgrounds to gather, meditate, reflect, and worship.

2016: Copa América title

In 2016, the national football team won a Copa América title.

December 2017: Sebastián Piñera succeeded Bachelet as President

In December 2017, Sebastián Piñera succeeded Bachelet again as the President of Chile after winning the presidential election.

2017: Gold production

Between 2006 and 2017, Chile's gold production varied. In 2017, Chile produced 35.9 tonnes of gold.

2017: Chile signs UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

In 2017 Chile signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

2017: Chile's population census

In 2017, Chile's latest census recorded a population of 17.5 million people.

2017: Cyber security strategy

In 2017, the government of Chile launched its first cyber security strategy, which receives technical support from the Organization of American States (OAS) Cyber Security Program of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE).

2017: Moderate proportional electoral system in force

The opponents of the binominal system approved in 2015 a moderate proportional electoral system that has been in force since the 2017 parliamentary elections, allowing the entry of new parties and coalitions.

2018: Forest Landscape Integrity Index ranking

Chile had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.37/10, ranking it 43rd globally out of 172 countries.

2018: Wine production

In 2018, Chile was in 6th place in the world for wine production.

2018: Piñera again as President

Sebastián Piñera succeeded Bachelet again in 2018 as the President of Chile after winning the December 2017 presidential election.

2018: Creation of third new region

The creation of two new regions in 2007, Arica and Parinacota (XV) and Los Ríos (XIV), and a third region in 2018, Ñuble (XVI) made this numbering lose its original order meaning.

2019: Nationwide protests begin

From 2019 to 2022, Chile endured a series of nationwide protests in response to a rise in the Santiago Metro's subway fare, the increased cost of living, privatization, and inequality.

2019: Latin American Immigrants

In 2019, Chile had 1.5 million Latin American immigrants, mainly from Venezuela, Peru, Haiti, Colombia, Bolivia and Argentina, which was 8% of the total population, without counting descendants.

2019: Salmon production

In 2019, Chile was responsible for 26% of the global salmon supply, making it the world's second largest producer of salmon after Norway.

April 2020: Referendum on new Constitution called

In November, most of the political parties represented in the National Congress signed an agreement to call a national referendum in April 2020 regarding the creation of a new Constitution; it was later postponed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

October 2020: Chileans vote in favor of a new constitution

On 25 October 2020, Chileans voted 78.28 percent in favor of a new constitution, while 21.72 percent rejected the change. Voter turnout was 51 percent.

2020: Third in Latin America in nominal GDP per capita

As of 2020, Chile ranks third in Latin America (behind Uruguay and Panama) in nominal GDP per capita.

2020: Highway kilometers

In 2020, Chile had 85,984 km of highways, with 21,289 km paved. In the same year, the country had 3,347 km of duplicated highways, the second largest network in South America, after Brazil.

2020: Total energy supply

In 2020, Chile's total energy supply (TES) was 23.0GJ per capita. Energy in Chile is dominated by fossil fuels, with coal, oil and gas accounting for 73.4% of the total primary energy. Biofuels and waste account for another 20.5% of primary energy supply, with the rest sourced from hydro and other renewables.

May 2021: Election for members of the Constitutional Convention

Between 15 and 16 May 2021, an election for the members of the Constitutional Convention was held in Chile. The results saw a complete rearrangement of the political system established since the end of Pinochet's dictatorship in 1990, with various independent and leftist candidates performing strongly relative to conventional center-right and center-left parties.

November 2021: Increase in Latin American immigration

In November 2021, the number of people entering Chile from elsewhere in Latin America had grown swiftly in the last decade, tripling in the last three years to 1.5 million, with arrivals stemming from humanitarian crises in Haiti (ca. 180,000) and Venezuela (ca 460,000).

November 2021: Congressional elections held

The last congressional elections were held on 21 November 2021, concurrently with the presidential election.

December 2021: Gabriel Boric wins presidential election

On 19 December 2021, a leftist candidate, the 35-year-old former student protest leader Gabriel Boric, won Chile's presidential election to become the country's youngest leader.

2021: Study about migration and numeracy

A 2021 study showed that regions in Chile with a higher share of North European migrants developed faster in terms of numeracy.

2021: Installed renewable electricity

In 2021, Chile had 6,807 MW in hydropower (28th largest in the world), 3,137 MW in wind power (28th largest in the world), 4,468 MW in solar (22nd largest in the world), and 375 MW in biomass.

March 2022: Boric sworn in as president

On 11 March 2022, Boric was sworn in as president to succeed outgoing President Sebastian Piñera. The majority of Boric's Cabinet—14 out of 24—are women, which is a first in the Western Hemisphere.

September 2022: Voters reject new constitution proposal

On 4 September 2022, voters rejected the new constitution proposal in the constitutional referendum, which was put forward by the left-leaning Constitutional Convention.

2022: Nationwide protests end

From 2019 to 2022, Chile endured a series of nationwide protests in response to a rise in the Santiago Metro's subway fare, the increased cost of living, privatization, and inequality.

2022: Unemployment rate at 7.8%

The unemployment rate was 7.8% in 2022, according to The World Bank.

December 2023: Voters reject a second new constitution proposal

On 17 December 2023, voters rejected a second new constitution proposal in a new constitutional referendum, written by the conservative-led Constitutional Council.

2023: Greenhouse gas emissions

In 2023 Chile emitted 107.99 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, equivalent to around 0.2% of the global total. In recent years Chile has emerged as a global leader in clean energy, particularly solar and wind.