📜 A long story
Chile, 1800 → today
Chile grew from 771,400 in 1800 to 19.7 million; a newborn can expect 52.2 more years of life than in 1900, and output per person is 27× its 1800 level, adjusted for inflation.
Told with long-run reconstructions, not the yearly series used elsewhere on the site: each chapter names its source. Scroll to move through the years.
☺ Chapter 1 · Population
How many people live there?
1800
In 1800, about 771,400 people lived in Chile.
1900
3.15 million people.
4.1× the 1800 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1856.
1950
6.63 million people.
2.1× the 1900 level
Reached 5 times the 1800 level in 1917.
2023
19.7 million people, the latest year in this series.
3× the 1950 level
Reached 10 times the 1800 level in 1958.
Reached 20 times the 1800 level in 2000.
Long-run series: before 1950, reconstructions by HYDE and Gapminder, filled in between benchmark years by those sources. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
✚ Chapter 2 · Life expectancy
How long do people live?
1900
In 1900, a newborn in Chile could expect to live 29 years, on average.
1950
53.2 years.
+24 years since 1900
Passed 40 years in 1942.
Passed 50 years in 1950 (no data between 1947 and 1950, so it may have happened earlier).
2023
81.2 years, the latest year in this series.
+28 years since 1950
Passed 60 years in 1966.
Passed 70 years in 1982.
Passed 80 years in 2015.
Long-run series: before 1950, historical estimates (Riley, Clio Infra, Human Mortality Database), only for years they cover. Dashed stretches are years without data.
◎ Chapter 3 · GDP per person (PPP)
How much is produced per person?
1800
In 1800, Chile produced about Int$853 per person, in 2011 prices.
1900
Int$3,390.
4× the 1800 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1865.
1950
Int$5,880.
1.7× the 1900 level
Reached 5 times the 1800 level in 1910.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 48% between 1929 and 1932 (Int$5,680 → Int$2,950).
2022
Int$22,700, the latest year in this series.
3.9× the 1950 level
Reached 10 times the 1800 level in 1971.
Reached 20 times the 1800 level in 2005.
Long-run series (Maddison Project) in 2011 international dollars: adjusted for inflation, so not the same unit as today’s PPP figure. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates. Dashed stretches are years without data.
❦ Chapter 4 · CO₂ per person
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
1844
In 1844, fossil fuels and industry in Chile emitted about 0.019 t of CO₂ per person.
1900
1 t.
50× the 1844 level
Reached twice the 1844 level in 1847.
Reached 5 times the 1844 level in 1852.
Reached 10 times the 1844 level in 1857.
Reached 20 times the 1844 level in 1867.
Reached 50 times the 1844 level in 1894.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 97% between 1852 and 1854 (0.1 t → 0.0036 t).
1950
1.4 t.
1.5× the 1900 level
2024
4 t, the latest year in this series.
2.8× the 1950 level
Long-run series: fossil CO₂ emitted within each country’s borders (Global Carbon Budget); early estimates are less certain. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
☕ Chapter 5 · Years of schooling
How long do people go to school?
1870
In 1870, people aged 15–64 in Chile had spent 0.4 years in school, on average.
1900
1.6 years.
+1.2 years since 1870
1950
4.9 years.
+3.3 years since 1900
Passed 2 years in 1910.
Passed 4 years in 1930.
2015
10.5 years, the latest year in this series.
+5.6 years since 1950
Passed 6 years in 1970.
Passed 8 years in 1990.
Passed 10 years in 2010.
Long-run series (Lee & Lee, Barro & Lee) for people aged 15–64, every 5 years until 2015: a different age group than today’s figure (25 and older).