Editing Chile (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Chile}}
Chile's 2017 census reported a population of 17,574,003. Its rate of population growth has been decreasing since 1990, due to a declining [[birth rate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/demografia_y_vitales/estadisticas_vitales/pdf/anuarios/vitales2003.zip|title=Anuario Estadísticas Vitales 2003|publisher=Instituto National de Estadísticas|access-date=30 May 2008|archive-date=1 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501215449/https://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/demografia_y_vitales/estadisticas_vitales/pdf/anuarios/vitales2003.zip|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2050 the population is expected to reach approximately 20.2 million people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/demografia_y_vitales/proyecciones/Informes/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20InforP_T.pdf|title=Chile: Proyecciones y Estimaciones de Población. Total País 1950–2050|publisher=Instituto National de Estadísticas|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230181515/http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/demografia_y_vitales/proyecciones/Informes/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20InforP_T.pdf|archive-date=30 December 2009}}</ref>

{{clear}}

=== Ancestry and ethnicity ===
{{main|Indigenous peoples in Chile|Immigration to Chile}}
[[File:Ministro Osorio entrega terreno a Comunidad Mapuche Lorenzo Quintrileo de Tirúa.jpg|thumb|[[Mapuche people|Mapuche]] women of [[Tirúa]]]]
[[File:Misa por Chile - Banderas.jpg|thumb|Chileans with flags of Chile]]

Mexican professor Francisco Lizcano, of the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]], estimated that 52.7% of [[Chileans]] were white, 39.3% were [[mestizo]], and 8% were [[Amerindian]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lizcano Fernández |first1=Francisco |title=Composición Étnica de las Tres Áreas Culturales del Continente Americano al Comienzo del Siglo XXI |trans-title=Ethnic Composition of the Three Cultural Areas of the American Continent at the Beginning of the 21st Century |language=es |journal=Convergencia |date=August 2005 |volume=12 |issue=38 |pages=185–232 |url=http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1405-14352005000200185 |access-date=23 November 2020 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922054604/https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1405-14352005000200185 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica]], as of the year 2002, only 22% of Chileans were white and 72% were mestizo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-10 |title=Chile - Indigenous, Mestizo, European {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Chile/People |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=4 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204141156/https://www.britannica.com/place/Chile/People |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1984, a study from the Revista de Pediatría de Chile titled ''Sociogenetic Reference Framework for Public Health Studies in Chile'' determined an ancestry of 67.9% European, and 32.1% Native American.<ref name="Valenzuela, 1984">{{cite journal |last1=Valenzuela |first1=C. |title=Marco de referencia sociogenético para los estudios de Salud Pública en Chile |trans-title=Sociogenetic reference limits for public health studies in Chile |language=es |journal=Revista Chilena de Pediatría |date=1984 |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=123–127 |pmid=6473850 |s2cid=162443939 }}</ref><ref name="Vanegas et al, 2008">{{cite journal |last1=Vanegas L |first1=Jairo |last2=Villalón C |first2=Marcelo |last3=Valenzuela Y |first3=Carlos |title=Ethnicity and race as variables in epidemiological research about inequity |journal=Revista médica de Chile |date=May 2008 |volume=136 |issue=5 |pages=637–644 |doi=10.4067/S0034-98872008000500014 |pmid=18769813 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In 1994, a biological study determined that the Chilean composition was 64% European and 35% Amerindian.<ref name= Cruz-Coke>{{cite journal |last=Cruz-Coke |first=Ricardo |year=1994 |title=Genetic epidemiology of single gene defects in Chile |journal=Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Chile |location= Santiago de Chile |volume= 31|issue=9 |pages=702–706 |doi=10.1136/jmg.31.9.702 |pmid=7815439 |pmc=1050080 }}</ref> The recent study in the Candela Project establishes that the genetic composition of Chile is 52% of European origin, with 44% of the genome coming from Native Americans (Amerindians), and 4% coming from Africa, making Chile a primarily mestizo country with traces of African descent present in half of the population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eldinamo.cl/2013/08/19/estudio-genetico-en-chilenos-muestra-desconocida-herencia-africana/ |title=Estudio genético en chilenos muestra desconocida herencia africana &#124; El Dínamo |publisher=Eldinamo.cl |date=19 August 2013 |access-date=22 December 2013 |archive-date=6 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706180053/http://www.eldinamo.cl/2013/08/19/estudio-genetico-en-chilenos-muestra-desconocida-herencia-africana/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Another genetic study conducted by the [[University of Brasília]] in several South American countries shows a similar genetic composition for Chile, with a European contribution of 51.6%, an Amerindian contribution of 42.1%, and an African contribution of 6.3%.<ref name=UB>{{cite thesis |last1=Godinho |first1=Neide Maria de Oliveira |title=O impacto das migrações na constituição genética de populações latino-americanas |trans-title=The impact of migration on the genetic makeup of Latin American populations |language=pt |date=2008 |url=https://repositorio.unb.br/handle/10482/5542 |access-date=23 November 2020 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112044147/https://repositorio.unb.br/handle/10482/5542 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, another study established genetic composition in 57% European, 38% Native American, and 2.5% African.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Homburger |first=Julian |display-authors=et al |year=2015 |title=Genomic Insights into the Ancestry and Demographic History of South America |volume=11 |issue=12 |at=1005602 |journal=[[PLOS Genetics]] |doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1005602 |pmid=26636962 |pmc=4670080 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

A public health booklet from the [[University of Chile]] states that 35% of the population is of Caucasian origin; "predominantly White" Mestizos are estimated to amount to a total of 65%, while Native Americans (Amerindians) comprise the remaining 5%.<ref name="UC">{{cite web | title =5.2.6. Estructura racial | url =http://mazinger.sisib.uchile.cl/repositorio/lb/ciencias_quimicas_y_farmaceuticas/medinae/cap2/5b6.html | work =La Universidad de Chile | access-date =26 August 2007 | archive-date =16 October 2007 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071016124831/http://mazinger.sisib.uchile.cl/repositorio/lb/ciencias_quimicas_y_farmaceuticas/medinae/cap2/5b6.html | url-status =dead }} ([http://mazinger.sisib.uchile.cl/repositorio/lb/ciencias_quimicas_y_farmaceuticas/medinae/ Main page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916211140/http://mazinger.sisib.uchile.cl/repositorio/lb/ciencias_quimicas_y_farmaceuticas/medinae/ |date=16 September 2009 }})</ref>

Despite the genetic considerations, many Chileans, if asked, would self-identify as White. 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".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latinobarometro.org/latino/LATContenidos.jsp |title=Informe Latinobarómetro 2011 |publisher=Latinobarometro.org |access-date=13 July 2013 |archive-date=13 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113084058/http://www.latinobarometro.org/latino/LATContenidos.jsp |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cepchile.cl/enc_encuestas.html|title=Encuesta CEP, Julio 2002|date=July 2002|access-date=18 May 2012|language=es|archive-date=29 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429001707/http://www.cepchile.cl/enc_encuestas.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Chile is one of 22 countries to have signed and ratified the only binding international law concerning indigenous peoples, the [[Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/ratifce.pl?C169 |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091225170052/http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/ratifce.pl?C169 |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 December 2009 |title=ILOLEX: submits English query |publisher=Ilo.org |date=9 January 2004 }}</ref> It was adopted in 1989 as the [[International Labour Organization]] (ILO) Convention 169. Chile ratified it in 2008. A Chilean court decision in November 2009, considered to be a landmark ruling on indigenous rights, made use of the convention. The Supreme Court decision on Aymara water rights upheld rulings by both the Pozo Almonte tribunal and the Iquique Court of Appeals and marks the first judicial application of ILO Convention 169 in Chile.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.santiagotimes.cl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17739:chiles-supreme-court-upholds-indigenous-water-use-rights&catid=19:other&Itemid=142 |title=Chile's Supreme Court Upholds Indigenous Water Use Rights |work=The Santiago Times|date=30 November 2009 |access-date=2 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303200719/http://www.santiagotimes.cl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17739:chiles-supreme-court-upholds-indigenous-water-use-rights&catid=19:other&Itemid=142 |archive-date=3 March 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The earliest [[Emigration from Europe|European immigrants]] were Spanish colonizers who arrived in the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euskadi.eus/eusko-jaurlaritza/osasun-saila/hasiera/|title=Osasuna Saila - Eusko Jaurlaritza |website =Euskadi.eus|access-date=1 April 2021|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410191534/https://www.euskadi.eus/eusko-jaurlaritza/osasun-saila/hasiera/|url-status=live |language=Basque}}</ref> The Amerindian population of central Chile was absorbed into the [[Spaniards|Spanish]] settler population in the beginning of the colonial period to form the large [[mestizo]] population that exists in Chile today; mestizos create modern middle and lower classes. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many [[Basque Chileans|Basques]] came to Chile where they integrated into the existing elites of [[Castile (historical region)|Castilian]] origin. Postcolonial Chile was never a particularly attractive destination for migrants, owing to its remoteness and distance from Europe.<ref name=Euzko/><ref name="HistoriaContemporaneaDeChile">{{cite book|last1=Salazar Vergara|first1=Gabriel|last2=Pinto|first2=Julio|title=Historia contemporánea de Chile: Actores, identidad y movimiento. II|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vyx8JQtvU78C&pg=PA78|access-date=14 July 2013|year=1999|publisher=[[Lom Ediciones]]|isbn=978-956-282-174-2|pages=76–81|chapter=La Presencia Inmigrante|archive-date=29 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129020127/https://books.google.com/books?id=Vyx8JQtvU78C&pg=PA78|url-status=live}}</ref> Europeans preferred to stay in countries closer to their homelands instead of taking the long journey through the Straits of Magellan or crossing the Andes.<ref name=Euzko/> European migration did not result in a significant change in the ethnic composition of Chile, except in the [[Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region|region of Magellan]].<ref name=C1907>{{cite web |url=http://www.ine.cl/canales/usuarios/cedoc_online/censos/pdf/censo_1907.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919222206/http://www.ine.cl/canales/usuarios/cedoc_online/censos/pdf/censo_1907.pdf |archive-date=19 September 2009 |url-status=dead |title=Memoria presentada al Supremo Gobierno por la Comision Central del Censo |date=1907 |language=es |access-date=13 February 2013 }}</ref> Spaniards were the only major European migrant group to Chile,<ref name=Euzko>{{cite web |url=http://www.euzkoetxeachile.cl/libros/04-De%20los%20Vascos%20Onati%20y%20los%20Elorza-2.pdf |title=De los Vascos, Oñati y los Elorza |author=Waldo Ayarza Elorza |pages=59, 65, 66 |access-date=13 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819165814/http://www.euzkoetxeachile.cl/libros/04-De%20los%20Vascos%20Onati%20y%20los%20Elorza-2.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and there was never large-scale immigration such as that to Argentina or Brazil.<ref name="HistoriaContemporaneaDeChile"/> Between 1851 and 1924, Chile only received 0.5% of European immigration to Latin America, compared to 46% to Argentina, 33% to Brazil, 14% to Cuba, and 4% to Uruguay.<ref name=Euzko/> However, it is undeniable that immigrants have played a significant role in Chilean society.<ref name="HistoriaContemporaneaDeChile"/>

Immigrants to Chile during the 19th and 20th centuries came from France,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Parvex |first=R. |date=2014 |url=https://journals.openedition.org/hommesmigrations/2720 |title=Le Chili et les mouvements migratoires |journal=Hommes & Migrations |issue=Nº 1305 |pages=71–76 |doi=10.4000/hommesmigrations.2720 |doi-access=free |access-date=21 July 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801043210/https://journals.openedition.org/hommesmigrations/2720 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Great Britain]],<ref name="Británicos, 700.000">{{cite web |url=http://www.biografiadechile.cl/detalle.php?IdContenido=1673&IdCategoria=91&IdArea=488&TituloPagina=Historia%20de%20Chile |title=Historia de Chile: Otros Artículos. Británicos y Anglosajones en Chile durante el siglo XIX |access-date=16 March 2012 |author=Jorge Sanhueza Aviléz |publisher=Biografía de Chile |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112003642/http://www.biografiadechile.cl/detalle.php?IdContenido=1673 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Germany,<ref name="Alemanes, 500.000">{{cite news|url=http://www.dw.de/alemanes-en-chile-entre-el-pasado-colono-y-el-presente-empresarial/a-14958983-1|title=Alemanes en Chile: entre el pasado colono y el presente empresarial|publisher=Deustche-Welle|author=Victoria Dannemann|access-date=21 July 2020|archive-date=1 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501162120/http://www.dw.de/alemanes-en-chile-entre-el-pasado-colono-y-el-presente-empresarial/a-14958983-1|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Croatia]],<ref name="Croatas, 400.000">{{cite web |url=http://www.domovina.cl/inmigrantes-otras.php |title=Inmigración a Chile |publisher=Domivina|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702225324/http://www.domovina.cl/inmigrantes-otras.php |archive-date=2 July 2015 }}</ref> among others. Descendants of different [[ethnic groups in Europe|European ethnic groups]] often intermarried in Chile. This intermarriage and mixture of cultures and races have helped to shape the present society and culture of the Chilean middle and upper classes.<ref name="deia.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.deia.com/es/impresa/2008/05/22/bizkaia/ekonomia/469496.php |title=entrevista al Presidente de la Cámara vasca |publisher=Deia.com |date=22 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511001812/http://www.deia.com/es/impresa/2008/05/22/bizkaia/ekonomia/469496.php |archive-date=11 May 2009 }}</ref> Also, roughly 500,000 of Chile's population is of full or partial [[Palestinian people|Palestinian origin]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=1.0.2050534508 |title=Chile: Palestinian refugees arrive to warm welcome |publisher=Adnkronos.com |date=7 April 2003 |access-date=29 October 2009 |archive-date=24 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124194143/http://www1.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=1.0.2050534508 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://laventana.casa.cult.cu/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=514 |title=500,000 descendientes de primera y segunda generación de palestinos en Chile |publisher=Laventana.casa.cult.cu |access-date=13 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722073846/http://laventana.casa.cult.cu/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=514 |archive-date=22 July 2009}}</ref> and 800,000 Arab descents.<ref name="Oriente próximo, 800.000, Palestinos, 500.000">{{cite news |author=Ghosh P. |title=Arabs in the Andes? Chile, The Unlikely Long-Term Home of a Large Palestinian Community |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/arabs-andes-chile-unlikely-long-term-home-large-palestinian-community-1449718 |work=International Business Times |access-date=29 September 2017 |archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423212551/https://www.ibtimes.com/arabs-andes-chile-unlikely-long-term-home-large-palestinian-community-1449718 |url-status=live }}</ref> Chile currently has 1.5 million of Latin American immigrants, mainly from [[Venezuela]], [[Peru]], [[Haiti]], [[Colombia]], [[Bolivia]] and [[Argentina]]; 8% of the total population in 2019, without counting descendants.<ref name="INE-DEM, 2019">[https://www.ine.cl/prensa/2020/03/12/seg%C3%BAn-estimaciones-la-cantidad-de-personas-extranjeras-residentes-habituales-en-chile-bordea-los-1-5-millones-al-31-de-diciembre-de-2019 Estimación de Población Extranjera en Chile, al 31 de diciembre de 2019] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504115042/https://www.ine.cl/prensa/2020/03/12/seg%C3%BAn-estimaciones-la-cantidad-de-personas-extranjeras-residentes-habituales-en-chile-bordea-los-1-5-millones-al-31-de-diciembre-de-2019 |date=4 May 2022 }}, del Departamento de Extranjería y Migración (DEM) del Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas de Chile (INE), pp. 21. Retrieved 29 Juny 2020.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=199 |title=Chile: Moving Towards a Migration Policy |publisher=Migrationinformation.org |access-date=1 August 2011 |archive-date=15 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215080515/http://migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=199 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the 2002 national census, Chile's foreign-born population has increased by 75% since 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=920108 |title= El debate sobre la inmigración ilegal se extiende a la región |access-date= 31 December 2008 |last= Landaburu |first= Juan |date= 24 June 2007 |work= [[La Nación]] |archive-date= 13 February 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090213112339/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=920108 |url-status= dead }}</ref> As of November 2021, numbers of people entering Chile from elsewhere in Latin America have 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).<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://globalriskinsights.com/2021/11/chilean-election-unlikely-to-halt-new-barriers-to-immigration/|title = Chilean Election Unlikely to Halt New Barriers to Immigration| work=Global Risk Insights |date = 20 November 2021|access-date = 21 November 2021|archive-date = 21 November 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211121064647/https://globalriskinsights.com/2021/11/chilean-election-unlikely-to-halt-new-barriers-to-immigration/|url-status = live}}</ref>
{{clear}}

=== Urbanization ===
About 85% of the country's population lives in urban areas, with 40% living in [[Santiago|Greater Santiago]]. The largest agglomerations according to the 2002 census are Greater Santiago with 5.6 million people, [[Greater Concepción]] with 861,000
and [[Greater Valparaíso]] with 824,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.observatoriourbano.cl/indurb/pre_ciudades.asp?id_user=0&idComCiu=0|title=List of Chilean cities|publisher=Observatorio Urbano, Ministerio de Vivienda y Urbanismo de Chile|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031912/http://www.observatoriourbano.cl/indurb/pre_ciudades.asp?id_user=0&idComCiu=0|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
{{Largest cities of Chile}}

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Chile}}
{{bar box
| title = Religious background in Chile (2012 Census)<ref name=CIA>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Chile|access-date=29 January 2017}}</ref><ref name=CENSUS2012>{{cite web|url=https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/site/artic/20130425/asocfile/20130425190105/resultados_censo_2012_poblacion_vivienda_tomosiyii.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415043914/http://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/site/artic/20130425/asocfile/20130425190105/resultados_censo_2012_poblacion_vivienda_tomosiyii.pdf |archive-date=15 April 2014 |url-status=live|title=Resultados XVIII Censo de Población|date=2012}}</ref>
| titlebar = #ddd
| left1 = Religion
| right1 = Percent
| float = right
| bars =
{{bar percent|[[Catholic Church]]|DarkBlue|66.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Protestantism]]|Skyblue|16.4}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|No religion]]|grey|11.5}}
{{bar percent|Others|Orange|4.5}}
{{bar percent|Unspecified|Black|1.1}}
}}
[[File:Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago 2012-09-01 10-05-15.jpg|thumb|[[Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral]], built between 1748 and 1906]]
[[File:Iglesia de Achao - fachada.JPG|thumb|200px|[[Church of Santa María de Loreto, Achao|Church of Santa María de Loreto of Achao]], built in the 18th century and now a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage]] site ]]
Historically, the [[indigenous peoples in Chile]] observed a variety of religions before the [[Conquest of Chile|Spanish conquest]] in the 16th century. During [[Colonial Chile|Spanish rule]] and the first century of Chilean independence, the [[Catholic Church]] was one of the most powerful institutions in the country. In the late 19th century, liberal policies (the so-called ''Leyes laicas'' or "lay laws") started to reduce the influence of the clergy and the promulgation of a [[Chilean Constitution of 1925|new Constitution]] in 1925 established the [[separation of church and state]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=H. |first=Smith, Brian |title=The Church and Politics in Chile Challenges to Modern Catholicism. |date=2014 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-5697-8 |oclc=1170509102}}</ref>

{{As of|2012}}, 66.6%<ref name="censo.cl">{{cite web|title=Population 15 years of age or older, by religion, region, sex and age groups. (censused population) |url=http://plazapublica.cl/wp-content/uploads/658799.pdf |access-date= 23 March 2018|date= 7 September 2015 |language=es |format=.pdf|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207182725/http://plazapublica.cl/wp-content/uploads/658799.pdf |archive-date=7 February 2017}}</ref> of Chilean population over 15 years of age claimed to adhere to the Roman Catholic church, a decrease from the 70%<ref>7,853,428 out of 11,226,309 people over 15 years of age. {{cite web|title=Population 15 years of age or older, by religion, administrative division, sex and age groups|url=http://www.ine.cl/cd2002/cuadros/6/C6_00000.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519100306/http://www.ine.cl/cd2002/cuadros/6/C6_00000.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2006 |url-status=live|work=Censo 2002|access-date=1 March 2014|language=es}}</ref> reported in the 2002 census. In the same census of 2012, 17% of Chileans reported adherence to an Evangelical church ("Evangelical" in the census referred to all Christian denominations other than the Roman Catholic and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]]—Greek, Persian, Serbian, Ukrainian, and Armenian—churches, [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], [[Seventh-day Adventists]], and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]: essentially, those denominations generally still termed "[[Protestants|Protestant]]" in most English-speaking lands, although [[Adventism]] is often considered an Evangelical denomination as well). Approximately 90% of Evangelical Christians are [[Pentecostal]]. but [[Wesleyan Church|Wesleyan]], [[Lutheran]], [[Anglican]], [[Anglicanism|Episcopalian]], [[Presbyterian]], [[Reformed churches|other Reformed]], [[Baptist]], and [[Methodist church]]es also are present amongst Chilean Evangelical churches.<ref name="religiousfreedomreport">{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108518.htm|title=Chile|work=International Religious Freedom Report|publisher=United States Department of State|date=19 September 2008|access-date=22 May 2019|archive-date=4 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404113441/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108518.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Irreligious people, atheists, and agnostics account for around 12% of the population.

By 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 atheist were estimated at 25% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://plazapublica.cl/wp-content/uploads/658799.pdf |title=Track semanal de Opinión Pública |language=es |trans-title=Weekly Public Opinion Track |date=7 September 2015 |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207182725/http://plazapublica.cl/wp-content/uploads/658799.pdf |archive-date=7 February 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Chile has a [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]] religious community, and is home to the Baháʼí mother temple, or continental [[Baháʼí House of Worship|House of Worship]], for Latin America. Completed in 2016, it serves as a space for people of all religions and backgrounds to gather, meditate, reflect, and worship.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/shastri-purushotma/bahai-temple-of-light-ris_b_6242968.html |author-last=Purushotma |author-first=Shastri |title=Breathtaking Baha'i Temple Rises in Chile |website=[[HuffPost]] |agency=HuffPost |date=6 December 2017 |access-date=5 August 2021 |archive-date=5 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205142740/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shastri-purushotma/bahai-temple-of-light-ris_b_6242968.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It is formed from cast glass and translucent marble and has been described as innovative in its architectural style.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/shastri-purushotma/bahai-temple-of-light-ris_b_6242968.html |author-last=Purushotma |author-first=Shastri |title=Breathtaking Baha'i Temple Rises in Chile |website=[[HuffPost]] |agency=HuffPost |date=6 December 2017 |access-date=21 February 2019 |archive-date=5 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205142740/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shastri-purushotma/bahai-temple-of-light-ris_b_6242968.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Constitution guarantees the right to [[freedom of religion]], and other laws and policies contribute to generally free religious practice. The law at all levels fully protects this right against abuse by either governmental or private actors.<ref name="religiousfreedomreport"/> Church and state are officially [[separation of church and state|separate]] in Chile. A 1999 law on religion prohibits [[religious discrimination]]. 
However, the Roman Catholic church for mostly historical and social reasons enjoys a privileged status and occasionally receives preferential treatment.<ref>Bill Kte'pi, "Chile", in Robert E. Emery, ''Cultural Sociology of Divorce: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1'' (London: Sage, 2013), 266–68. books.google.com/books?id=wzJdSIfeeTQC&pg=PA266
{{ISBN|9781412999588}}</ref> Government officials attend Roman Catholic events as well as major Evangelical and Jewish ceremonies.<ref name="religiousfreedomreport"/>

The Chilean government treats the religious holidays of Christmas, [[Good Friday]], the [[Our Lady of Mount Carmel|Feast of the Virgin of Carmen]], the [[Feast of Saints Peter and Paul]], the [[Assumption of Mary|Feast of the Assumption]], [[All Saints' Day]], and the [[Feast of the Immaculate Conception]] as [[Public holiday|national holidays]].<ref name="religiousfreedomreport"/> Recently, the government declared 31 October, [[Reformation Day]], to be an additional national holiday, in honor of the Evangelical churches of the country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12564066 |title=Hola, Luther |newspaper=The Economist|date=6 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210125640/http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12564066 |archive-date=10 December 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Andrea Henríquez |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/specials/2007/en_nombre_de_la_fe/newsid_7701000/7701290.stm |title=Los evangélicos tienen su feriado |publisher=BBC Mundo |date=31 October 2008 |access-date=17 December 2009 |archive-date=25 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625104726/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/specials/2007/en_nombre_de_la_fe/newsid_7701000/7701290.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[patron saint]]s of Chile are [[Our Lady of Mount Carmel]] and [[Saint James the Greater]] (''Santiago'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic.org/saints/patron.php?letter=C |title=Patron Saints: 'C' |publisher=Catholic Online |access-date=28 June 2012 |archive-date=9 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409002526/https://www.catholic.org/saints/patron.php?letter=C |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2005, [[Pope Benedict XVI]] canonized [[Alberto Hurtado]], who became the country's second native Roman Catholic saint after [[Teresa de los Andes]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canonizacion.cl/cano_etapaPH.html |title=Las fechas del proceso de Canonización del Padre Hurtado |language=es |access-date=9 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122033957/http://www.canonizacion.cl/cano_etapaPH.html |archive-date=22 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of Chile}}
[[File:Mapudungun.jpg|thumb|Chilean [[proverb]] written in [[Mapuche language]] and [[Chilean Spanish]]. The [[Mapudungun alphabet]] used here does not reflect an agreed-upon standard. In fact, there are three distinct alphabets currently used to write the Mapuche language.<ref>Montrul, Silvina. El Bilinguismo En El Mundo Hispanohablante. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2013. p. 249</ref>]]

The [[Chilean Spanish|Spanish spoken in Chile]] is distinctively accented and quite unlike that of neighboring South American countries because final syllables are often dropped, and some consonants have a soft pronunciation.{{clarify|reason=Which consonants and what kind of soft pronunciation?|date=April 2018}} Accent varies only very slightly from north to south; more noticeable are the differences in accent based on social class or whether one lives in the city or the country. That the Chilean population was largely formed in a small section at the center of the country and then migrated in modest numbers to the north and south helps explain this relative lack of differentiation, which was maintained by the national reach of radio, and now television, which also helps to diffuse and homogenize colloquial expressions.<ref name="countrystudies"/>

There are several indigenous languages spoken in Chile: [[Mapudungun]], [[Aymara language|Aymara]], [[Rapa Nui language|Rapa Nui]], [[Chilean Sign Language]] and (barely surviving) [[Qawasqar language|Qawasqar]] and [[Yaghan language|Yaghan]], along with non-indigenous German, Italian, English, Greek and [[Chilean Quechua|Quechua]]. After the Spanish conquest, Spanish took over as the [[lingua franca]] and the indigenous languages have become minority languages, with some now extinct or close to extinction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=CL |title=Ethnologue report for Chile |publisher=Ethnologue.com |access-date=1 August 2011 |archive-date=3 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203004338/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=CL |url-status=live }}</ref>

German is still spoken to some extent in southern Chile,<ref>{{cite web |author=Oliver Zoellner |url=http://www.research-worldwide.de/article-chile2005.html |title=Oliver Zoellner &#124; Generating Samples of Ethnic Minorities in Chile |publisher=Research-worldwide.de |access-date=17 December 2009 |archive-date=2 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202075142/http://www.research-worldwide.de/article-chile2005.html |url-status=live }}</ref> either in small countryside pockets or as a second language among the communities of larger cities.

Through initiatives such as the [[English Opens Doors|English Opens Doors Program]], the government made English mandatory for students in fifth grade and above in public schools. Most private schools in Chile start teaching English from kindergarten.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/chile/090908/lack-english-proficiency |title=Repeat after me: Hello, my name is |publisher=Globalpost.com |access-date=22 February 2010 |archive-date=11 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811114741/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/chile/090908/lack-english-proficiency |url-status=live }}</ref> Common English words have been absorbed and appropriated into everyday Spanish speech.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sáez Godoy |first1=Leopoldo |title=Anglicismos en el español de Chile |trans-title=Anglicisms in Chilean Spanish |language=es |journal=Atenea (Concepción) |date=2005 |issue=492 |pages=171–177 |doi=10.4067/S0718-04622005000200010 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{Main|Healthcare in Chile}}
[[File:Credencial Fonasa.png|thumb|Card of [[Fondo Nacional de Salud|National Health Fund]] (''Fonasa'')]]
The [[Ministry of Health (Chile)|Ministry of Health]] (''Minsal'') is the cabinet-level administrative office in charge of planning, directing, coordinating, executing, controlling and informing the public health policies formulated by the President of Chile. The [[Fondo Nacional de Salud|National Health Fund]] (''Fonasa''), created in 1979, is the financial entity entrusted to collect, manage and distribute state funds for health in Chile. It is funded by the public. All employees pay 7% of their monthly income to the fund.<ref>{{cite web | title = ¿Cuál es la cotización legal para salud de un trabajador activo y en qué plazo deben ser declaradas y pagadas? | website = supersalud.gob.cl | publisher = [[Ministry of Health (Chile)|Superintendence of Health]] | date =  | url = http://www.supersalud.gob.cl/consultas/667/w3-article-2908.html | access-date = 26 September 2021 | archive-date = 26 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210926171408/http://www.supersalud.gob.cl/consultas/667/w3-article-2908.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

Fonasa is part of the NHSS and has executive power through the [[Ministry of Health (Chile)]]. Its headquarters are in [[Santiago]] and decentralized public service is conducted by various Regional Offices. More than 12 million beneficiaries benefit from Fonasa. Beneficiaries can also opt for more costly private insurance through [[Isapre]].

In the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Chile is one of 22 countries with a GHI score of less than 5.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en |archive-date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225183607/https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{main|Education in Chile|List of universities in Chile}}
[[File:Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile.jpg|thumb|[[Casa Central de la Universidad de Chile|Casa Central]] of the [[University of Chile]] in Santiago]]
In Chile, education begins with [[preschool]] until the age of 5. [[Primary school]] is provided for children between ages 6 and 13. Students then attend [[secondary school]] until graduation at age 17.

Secondary education is divided into two parts: During the first two years, students receive a general education. Then, they choose a branch: scientific humanistic education, artistic education, or technical and professional education. Secondary school ends two years later on the acquirement of a certificate (licencia de enseñanza media).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unevoc.unesco.org/home/Dynamic+TVET+Country+Profiles/country=CHL|series=TVET Country Profiles|title=Chile|website=UNESCO International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training |access-date=29 April 2014|archive-date=29 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429204820/http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=CHL|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chilean education is segregated by wealth in a three-tiered system – the quality of the schools reflects socioeconomic backgrounds:
* city schools (colegios municipales) that are mostly free and have the worst education results, mostly attended by poor students;
* subsidized schools that receive some money from the government which can be supplemented by fees paid by the student's family, which are attended by mid-income students and typically get mid-level results; and 
* entirely private schools that consistently get the best results. Many private schools charge attendance fees of 0,5 to 1 median household income.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/2013/12/30/637336/mensualidad-en-colegios-top-10-en-la-psu-supera-los-250-mil.html |title=Mensualidad de los colegios con los mejores puntajes en la PSU supera los mil |publisher=Emol.com |date=30 December 2013 |access-date=18 July 2014 |archive-date=19 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719000507/http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/2013/12/30/637336/mensualidad-en-colegios-top-10-en-la-psu-supera-los-250-mil.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Upon successful graduation of secondary school, students may continue into [[higher education]]. The higher education schools in Chile consist of [[Chilean Traditional Universities]] and are divided into [[Public university|public universities]] or [[Private university|private universities]]. There are [[List of medical schools in South America#Chile|medical schools]] and both the [[Universidad de Chile]] and [[Universidad Diego Portales]] offer [[Legal education|law schools]] in a partnership with [[Yale University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.yale.edu/linkageinchili.htm |title=Program in Chile &#124; Yale Law School |publisher=Law.yale.edu |access-date=22 December 2013 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224103311/http://www.law.yale.edu/linkageinchili.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>