Chile Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in chile, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Investment Climate Statement
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The U.S. Department of State’s Investment Climate Statements help U.S. companies make informed business decisions by providing up-to-date information on the investment climates of more than 170 countries and economies.  They are prepared by our embassies and consulates around the world and analyze each economy’s openness to foreign investment.  Topics include:

  • Openness to, and Restrictions upon, Foreign Investment,

  • Investment and Taxation Treaties,

  • Legal Regime,

  • Industrial Policies,

  • Protection of Property Rights,

  • Financial Sector,

  • State-owned Enterprises,

  • Corruption,

  • Labor Policies and Practices,

  • Political and Security Environment, and

  • U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Other Investment Insurance or Development Finance Programs

Each statement provides a starting point for U.S. firms and offers a point of contact at the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. These reports are also a resource for foreign governments to create business environments that ensure fair treatment for the United States and our companies and investors.  

To access the full Investment Climate Statement, visit the U.S. Department of State Investment Climate Statements website.  

Executive Summary - Chile

With the third highest GDP per capita in Latin America, Chile has historically enjoyed significant economic stability and prosperity. After a wave of civil unrest in 2019, Chile’s political leadership launched a constitutional rewrite process to address social concerns. Although Chileans rejected the proposals of two constitutional referendums, the government’s use of peaceful and democratic tools was largely credited for diffusing social tension. Chile’s solid macroeconomic policy framework gives the country one of the strongest sovereign bond ratings in Latin America and provided fiscal and monetary space to reactivate the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. According to its Central Bank, Chile’s economic growth was 0.2 percent in 2023 and is projected between 2 and 3 percent in 2024.

Despite its relatively small domestic market, Chile has successfully attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with an FDI to GDP ratio of nearly 85 percent. The country’s market-oriented policies create significant opportunities for foreign investors to participate in the country’s economic growth. Chile has a sound legal framework and there is general respect for private property rights. Sectors that attract the most FDI are mining, financial services (including pensions and health insurance), and utilities (including electricity, energy, water, and telecommunications). Mineral, hydrocarbon, and fossil fuel deposits within Chilean territory are restricted from foreign ownership, but companies may sign resource extraction contracts with the government. According to Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Chile ranked 29 out of 180 countries worldwide and second in Latin America – behind Uruguay which ranked 16th.

Although Chile is an attractive destination for foreign investment, challenges remain. Some government reform proposals caused concern about potential impacts on investments in the healthcare, insurance, and pension sectors. Despite a general respect for intellectual property (IP) rights, Chile has not fully complied with its IP obligations set forth in the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement. Environmental permitting processes, indigenous consultation requirements, and cumbersome court proceedings have made large project approvals increasingly time consuming and unpredictable, especially in cases with political sensitivities. The current administration prioritizes attracting foreign investment, especially into technological sectors and natural resource extraction associated with the green transition (lithium, copper, and green hydrogen) and continues to implement measures to streamline the investment process.

To access the ICS, visit the U.S. Department of State Investment Climate Statements website.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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