AgricultureID

Country agriculture profile · Latin America & Caribbean

Chile

Chile is a major Southern Hemisphere fruit exporter, supplying table grapes, apples, cherries, berries, and tree nuts counter-seasonally to Northern Hemisphere markets, alongside an internationally recognised wine industry. Its long, climatically varied territory concentrates commercial production in the irrigated Mediterranean Central Valley, with cereals and dairy in the wetter south and extensive sheep grazing in Patagonia. Strict phytosanitary controls and Pacific and Atlantic trade agreements underpin the export orientation of the sector.

Stable overview + dated statisticsUpdated: 2026-07-12

Farming systems (stable overview)

Climate zones

  • Arid (Atacama, north)
  • Mediterranean (central)
  • Temperate oceanic (south)
  • Alpine and cold (Andes and far south)

Agroecological zones

  • Norte Chico transitional valleys
  • Central Valley (Mediterranean core)
  • Southern temperate zone
  • Patagonia (Aysén and Magallanes)

Dominant crop systems

  • Irrigated fruit and viticulture in the Mediterranean Central Valley — table and wine grapes, pome and stone fruit
  • Counter-seasonal fresh fruit and nuts grown for the Northern Hemisphere export market
  • Rainfed and irrigated cereals in the wetter south
  • Intensive vegetable horticulture near the central valleys

Major livestock systems

  • Confined poultry and pigs in the central zone
  • Dairy and beef in the temperate south
  • Extensive sheep grazing in Patagonia (Magallanes)

Irrigation: Irrigation is fundamental to the productive Mediterranean heartland, largely fed by snowmelt from the Andes, and multi-year drought has made water availability a central constraint.

Latest verified data

Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.

Latest available agricultural indicators, with year and unit
IndicatorValueUnitYear
Agricultural land14.4% of land area2023
Arable land1.89% of land area2023
Cereal yield6,606.1kg per hectare2024
Crop production index106.37index (2014–2016 = 100)2022
Agriculture value added3.83% of GDP2024
Employment in agriculture(est.)6.23% of total employment2024
Irrigated agricultural land8.5% of agricultural land2023
Forest area25.01% of land area2023

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Cereal yield over time

201320192024
Chile — Cereal yield (kg per hectare). Bars start at zero.
Show data table
Chile — Cereal yield in kg per hectare by year
Yearkg per hectare
20136,913.2
20146,128.4
20157,082.3
20166,858.2
20176,779.4
20187,144.3
20197,157.2
20206,245.8
20216,491.2
20226,113.9
20236,382.3
20246,606.1

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Derived indicator

Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 13.2 % of agricultural land (2023)

Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (1.9) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (14.4). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.

Documented crops & livestock

Agricultural institutions

  • Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA Chile) — National agricultural research institute.
  • Oficina de Estudios y Políticas Agrarias (ODEPA) — Agricultural studies and policy office; official sector statistics and analysis.
  • Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) — Agricultural and livestock service; plant and animal health and phytosanitary control.

Data coverage & limitations

Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.

  • Statistics are dated, versioned, and periodically revised; always read them with their year and dataset version.
  • National statistical definitions (of agricultural land, farm, and employment) differ from those of other countries, limiting strict cross-country comparison.
  • A narrow, climatically diverse territory means national aggregates blend Mediterranean, temperate, and cold-zone systems with very different water constraints.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]World Bank Open Data — World Development Indicators (opens in a new tab)

    World Bank

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Global production and food-systems context

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  3. [3]FAOSTAT — FAO statistical database (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Production, area, and trade statistics

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  4. [4]USDA FAS — Foreign Agricultural Service (opens in a new tab)

    USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Fresh-fruit and wine trade estimates

    Type:
    Government agency
    Jurisdiction:
    Global (U.S. perspective)
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12