Countries · Americas
Chile
Chile is the world's largest copper producer, and copper prices drive much of its trade and investment.
At a glance
Net inflows of foreign direct investment were $14.5bn in 2025, against an average of $13.4bn a year in 2015–2024. Investors based in Chile put a net $8.68bn into direct investment abroad in the same year, less than Chile received. Foreign investors were net sellers of $3.14bn of shares in Chile in 2025. Chile ran a current account deficit in every year shown, which means it relied on money from abroad. Investors in Chile held $38.7bn of US Treasury securities at the end of August 2026, −$0.4bn on a year earlier, and $67.1bn of US shares.
Mining attracts most of the direct investment into Chile. Chilean pension funds are large investors in foreign securities.
Chile's holdings of US securities
Treasuries, shares and bonds issued in the US and held by investors in Chile.
Holdings of US securities
End of month, Aug 2025 to Aug 2026, $bn.
Net purchases of long-term US securities
Each month, $bn. Positive means net buying.
The US Treasury records holdings by the country where securities are held in custody, which is not always the owner's country. Why this matters.
Direct and equity investment
Annual net flows, $bn. Direct investment means building or buying businesses; portfolio equity means buying listed shares and fund units.
Net flows by year
Direct investment into and out of Chile, and foreign buying of its shares, $bn.
Current account and reserves
The balance of trade and income with the rest of the world, and the reserves held by the central bank.
Current account balance
Each year, $bn. A surplus means the country lends to the rest of the world.
Foreign exchange reserves, including gold
End of year, $bn.
The economy
GDP
Current US dollars, $bn. Dollar figures also move with exchange rates.
Growth and inflation
Real GDP growth and consumer price inflation, per cent.
All figures
Annual figures from the World Bank, as published. Download them for every country on the data page.
| Indicator | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (m) | 18.05 | 18.27 | 18.56 | 18.89 | 19.20 | 19.37 | 19.46 | 19.55 | 19.66 | 19.76 | 19.86 |
| GDP ($bn) | 242.5 | 249.3 | 276.2 | 295.9 | 278.3 | 254.1 | 315.5 | 301.1 | 335.8 | 329.3 | 357.4 |
| GDP per person ($) | 13,434 | 13,650 | 14,880 | 15,659 | 14,497 | 13,118 | 16,216 | 15,399 | 17,082 | 16,659 | 17,995 |
| Real GDP growth (%) | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 4.0 | 0.6 | −6.1 | 11.3 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| Inflation (%) | 4.3 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 11.6 | 7.6 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| Current account ($bn) | −6.63 | −6.53 | −7.62 | −13.27 | −14.51 | −4.99 | −23.01 | −26.72 | −10.42 | −3.85 | −4.35 |
| Current account (% GDP) | −2.7 | −2.6 | −2.8 | −4.5 | −5.2 | −2.0 | −7.3 | −8.9 | −3.1 | −1.2 | −1.2 |
| Reserves incl. gold ($bn) | 38.6 | 40.5 | 39.0 | 39.9 | 40.7 | 39.2 | 51.3 | 39.1 | 46.4 | 44.4 | 49.4 |
| Direct investment in ($bn) | 17.77 | 11.36 | 5.24 | 7.94 | 13.58 | 11.45 | 15.18 | 18.77 | 19.22 | 13.10 | 14.51 |
| Direct investment out ($bn) | 15.85 | 7.88 | 2.53 | 1.85 | 10.35 | 6.40 | 14.57 | 14.05 | 8.39 | 4.04 | 8.68 |
| Portfolio equity in ($bn) | −0.01 | 1.31 | 0.45 | −1.56 | 2.97 | 0.20 | 2.59 | 7.74 | −1.42 | −0.78 | −3.14 |
| Remittances ($bn) | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.09 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
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