Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Chile has surpassed initial expectations. According to data from the Central Bank, by October of this year, accumulated foreign direct investment in Chile reached US$12.711 billion. This figure corresponds to an annual increase of 13.6% in the inflow of foreign capital when compared to the same period in 2024. These statistics indicate a robust recovery in foreign direct investment and a sustained upward trend in capital inflows to Chile, thus reinforcing the country’s reputation as a safe, stable, and competitive investment destination.
Committee of Ministers for Foreign Investment highlights strong performance
The above data was discussed and positively assessed during the most recent meeting of the Committee of Ministers for Foreign Investment. This group, which meets on a quarterly basis and is presided over by the Minister of Economy, Development, and Tourism and the Minister of Energy, Álvaro García, provides a high-level forum for the most relevant authorities in charge of attracting foreign direct investment to Chile.
The previous meeting of the Committee of Ministers for Foreign Investment was convened on Friday, December 11, 2025, and included the participation of top government officials. In addition to the Minister García, the gathering featured the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto Van Klaveren; the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz; the Undersecretary of Public Works, Danilo Núñez; the Undersecretary of Agriculture, Alan Espinosa; the International Coordinator of the Ministry of Finance, Carola Moreno; and the Acting Director of InvestChile, Juan Pablo Candia.
The latter, Candia, was in charge of the Committee’s most recent session, offering a general overview of the work performed by InvestChile in terms of FDI over the last four years. He also provided an update on the agency’s pipeline of projects moving forward through 2026. In his presentation, Candia not only highlighted Chile’s quantitative achievements in this regard but also emphasized the qualitative evolution of Chile’s investment promotion strategy. This includes greater attention being paid to regionalization and the diversification of targeted sectors.
Outperforming the Target by a Wide Margin
“In the foreign direct investment results we are seeing a very clear sign of confidence in Chile. We set ourselves a goal of US$17 billion in FDI for the 2023–2026 period, and today we can say that this figure has been very widely surpassed, as we have reached 137% of that, with more than US$23 billion in committed investment. It is a good moment to reaffirm that Chile is an attractive destination, with clear rules, with institutional stability, with an active investment promotion policy”, asserted García.
This outcome, it is important to highlight, is the product of a favorable comparison with global trends that have limited investment flows elsewhere. In other words, FDI in Chile is a relative bright spot in the current international economic scenario. Chile has been able to outperform global averages despite being heavily affected by high uncertainty, tight financial conditions, and geopolitical risks. This positive anomaly has been attributed to the country’s policy continuity, openness to trade, and deep-rooted commitment to protecting the rights of investors.
Job Creation
The realization of foreign direct investment in Chile has also had a positive impact on the job market. In this regard, official statistics show that the materialization of the aforementioned investments has enabled the creation of 8,300 permanent jobs. This number surpasses the Council of Ministers target of 7,000 jobs by 117% for the 2023–2026 period. This, for its part, has not been a matter of chance, according to the Minister García.
“This performance is not random. It is the result of the sustained work of InvestChile and the Committee of Ministers, which has defined a modern strategy, with a very strong international presence, and with a robust focus on regionalization. Today we are seeing how foreign investment not only grows, but also creates jobs, is decentralized, and strengthens strategic sectors such as mining and energy. That way it is making an important contribution to the productive development of the country and to its energy transition,” he stressed.
Outperforming World Averages
One of the key points in Candia’s presentation centered on how FDI in Chile has exceeded world averages throughout the 2022–2024 period. This has been the case even though the global context has been marked by great uncertainty and strong headwinds. In fact, statistics on foreign direct investment show a 2.9% average decline in flows at the global level between 2022 and 2024. Chile, for its part, had a positive average growth of 1.4% in direct investment flows over the same period.
The divergence is a demonstration of the relative resilience of foreign direct investment in Chile and, in particular, of investor confidence in the country’s macroeconomic management, its regulatory framework, and its long-term development strategy. Experts have emphasized that Chile’s strong institutions, independent central bank, and well-developed capital markets continue to set the country apart within Latin America.
Central Bank Data and Comparison with Historical Averages
According to Central Bank data, foreign investment flows accumulated through October already total US$12.711 billion. In this regard, Central Bank data show an increase of 13.6% in accumulated foreign direct investment in Chile compared with the same period in 2024. The average net accumulated flows between 2022 and 2025, measured through October, amounted to US$14.604 billion. This amount, in turn, represents a 16.6% increase over the historical average in the 2003–2025 period. This figure, according to historical statistics available in the Central Bank’s Balance of Payments, is US$12.520 billion.
These long-term comparisons, it is worth pointing out, are used to illustrate the fact that current performance is not cyclical in nature. On the contrary, they are part of a broader trend in which FDI in Chile has generally exceeded historical norms in recent years, even as other economies have struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels of investment.
Main Source Countries
Over the past ten years, the countries that have most contributed to the growth of FDI in Chile have been Canada and Italy. The former has shown the most dynamic behavior, displacing the United States from the top spot, and currently totaling more than US$41.84 billion in accumulated investments in Chile. The investment from Italy, in turn, has grown by 36%, moving Italy from 26th to 6th place in the ranking of countries that have invested in Chile the most during the same period.
This diversification of source countries is seen as a positive trend, since it reduces the concentration of FDI in Chile in any single country. In this way, it is an example of how Chile’s network of trade agreements and diplomatic relations with the rest of the world allows it to facilitate investment flows from both traditional partners and emerging economies.
Regionalization and Strategic Sectors
The foreign direct investment registered in Chile has also supported the decentralization of productive activity, with a strong focus on the country’s regions. In this context, different investment projects have served to reinforce development poles in both northern and southern Chile, supporting local economies and helping to break with a historic geographic concentration.
Mining, without a doubt, remains the sector that receives the most foreign investment, thanks to Chile’s position as a global leader in the production of copper and other critical minerals. Energy, meanwhile, has emerged as the most dynamic sector in terms of FDI in Chile over the last few years, driven by initiatives such as renewable energy projects, green hydrogen developments, and infrastructure aligned with the country’s energy transition.
Minister García highlighted the successful implementation of InvestChile’s Regional Strategy. This strategy, as described by the Ministry of Economy, has already enabled the signing of 10 regional agreements, along with other advances in the development of regional value propositions, investment opportunities, and regional coordination tables. All these actions, in the eyes of the authorities, help to strengthen FDI in Chile as a strategic component of growth, regional development, and long-term competitiveness.