The average number of children per woman in Chile last year fell to 0.99 live births, a 59.4% decrease from 1993, according to government statistics. File Photo by Alberto Valdes/EPA
SANTIAGO, Chile, June 2 (UPI) -- Chile has recorded a historic decline in births, with the birth rate falling 46.9% over the past 32 years and the total fertility rate dropping below one child per woman for the first time, raising concerns about long-term population replacement.
According to the National Statistics Institute, or INE, report "Demographic Overview of Chile," the number of births declined to 146,446 in 2025 from 275,916 in 1993. The average number of children per woman last year fell to 0.99 live births, a 59.4% decrease from 1993.
At the same time, the share of births to foreign mothers has increased significantly. Between 2017 and 2025, the proportion nearly tripled, rising to 19.7% of live births from 6.9%.
"These are concerning figures. Chile is the most aged country in Latin America, with one of the region's highest life expectancies at 81.5 years, comparable to Canada," public health specialist Claudia Rodriguez, head of the Public Health Department at the University of the Andes, told UPI.
