Good to know
Good to Know
- Santiago is home to ~6.9 million people (metro area), representing 40% of Chile's national population and making it by far the country's dominant urban hub
- Foreign-born population is relatively low at ~2.11%, though concentrated in specific central neighborhoods (Santiago Centro 28%, Independencia 31%)
- Peruvians are the largest immigrant community, followed by Venezuelans, Argentines, and Haitians; most immigrants come from neighboring Latin American countries
- Santiago is Latin America's 4th largest startup ecosystem and global #75, with two unicorns (NotCo, Betterfly) and 435 startups; major presence in fintech (~180), SaaS, agritech, and energy tech
- Tech giants Google and Amazon operate in the city; government-backed Startup Chile program provides equity-free grants and 1-year startup visas to international founders
- Venture capital funding surged from $160M (2020) to ~$3B (2021), signaling strong investor confidence in the ecosystem
Major Immigrant Nationalities
Peruvian
- Notes
- Largest stable immigrant group; comprises 20-25% of foreign-born population
Venezuelan
- Notes
- 288,233 in Chile nationally; concentrated in urban areas
Argentinian
- Notes
- Secondary immigrant source from neighboring country
Haitian
- Notes
- 179,338 in Chile nationally; part of post-2010 Caribbean wave
Colombian
- Notes
- 146,582 in Chile nationally
High Concentration Neighborhoods
Santiago Centro
- Foreign Born Percentage
- 28
Independencia
- Foreign Born Percentage
- 31
Estación Central
- Foreign Born Percentage
- 17
Recoleta
- Foreign Born Percentage
- 16
Population Trends
- Growth Rate Declining
- Yes
- Median Age
- 37.4
- Age Dependency
- Aging population; proportion over 60 increasing
- Metropolitan Area Share Of National Population
- 40% of Chile's total population
Foreign Born Context
Low immigration relative to national average; foreigners comprise ~2.11% of Santiago residents
City Proper Population
200000
Foreign Born Percentage
2.11
Metropolitan Population
6900000
Tech And Business Presence
- Number Of Startups
- 435
- Startup Ranking
- Ranked #75 globally; #1 in Chile; 4th in Latin America
- Government Support
- Startup Chile accelerator program (since 2010); CORFO funding; Start-Up Chile supports 80+ countries with 1-year startup visa
- Venture Capital Growth
- Investment in venture capital funds grew from $160M (2020) to nearly $3B (2021)
Unicorns
- NotCo (plant-based food tech, valued ~$1.5B)
- Betterfly (insurtech/wellbeing platform, raised $204.5M)
Key Sectors
- Financial technology (fintech) - ~180 registered startups
- Software as a service (SaaS)
- Agritech
- Mining innovation
- Edtech
- Logistics and retail
- Energy technology
Major Tech Companies
- Google - operations established
- Amazon - operations established
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Santiago
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.