In Some Key Areas, Chile Leads the World

The national daily paper, El Mercurio, featured a full-page article on Sunday, September 18, 2011 (page B4), in which it summarized the findings of a key report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and reports from a couple other research agencies. For what it is worth, Chile turned out to be a leader in a number of important categories. The El Mercurio article was entitled: "We Chileans lead the world in hours worked, fruit exports and water purity." And those are just a few of the important items mentioned. Here are some of the highlights:

First, Chileans work more hours (2,068 hours per year per employee) than anyone in the world besides people in South Korea and Greece. What is more, after falling in 2009 and 2010, Chilean work productivity rose an impressive 3% in 2011. This fact must be attractive to those considering investing in a business in Chile. (Note: My wife wonders just how many of those hours are actually spent working, given the historical tendency of Chileans to shirk, but the OECD report implies that such propensities may be changing.)

Second, according to the Financial Development Report of the OECD, among those countries in the world with high middle incomes per capita, Chile now offers better access to financial services than any other country in Latin America. It also beat out Switzerland, Denmark, Germany and Japan, falling just behind Italy. For reference, the top countries in the world for access to financial services were (in order) Australia, Hong Kong, Belgium, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain and France. Chile ranked second place in the banking system stability category.

Third, Chileans have many reasons to be proud of their medical care system, which has helped generate the highest life expectancy in Latin America and has minimized problems with children's malnutrition. The country has more medical school graduates than Israel or Japan and, equal with the United States, boasts 6.5 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants (according to the article in El Mercurio).

Fourth, Chile has some of the cleanest water in the world, ranked alongside of Holland and Switzerland. Chile is in the top ten in sewage treatment, beating out the United States, Canada and Sweden.  Having a good water system greatly reduces potential disease and helps recoup public spaces near the ocean shoreline, lakeside areas and river banks.

Fifth, Chilean fruit is now famous all across the world. The National Society of Agriculture highlighted that more Chilean grapes are sold than those from any other place on earth. Chile leads the world in exports of plums, avocados and blueberries, too, and is in the top five countries for exports of cherries and apples.  Local wines are also world leaders, being bested only by European and South African producers. Furthermore, Chile ranks among the top five exporters of pork products in the world. Remember, Chile has everything California has to offer for agriculture and more.

Sixth, Chile led all Latin American countries with internet penetration of 42%. Uruguay and Argentina registered 34%, while Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru came in at 21% (according to a study by Havas Digital sponsored by the BBC). Moreover, Chile shares the distinction (along with Argentina and Venezuela) of having 100% cellular telephone penetration.

Seventh, Chile was ranked first in Latin America and one of the best overall in the world for competitiveness (according to a study by the World Economic Forum). Chile was tied for first place in the world for controlling inflation and holds sixth place in controlling public debt. Its quality of institutions was found to be excellent. Public finance is healthy, people have confidence in public policies and government actions tend to be transparent. The government does not pay agricultural subsidies, helping Chile earn a ranking of tenth place in this category around the world, and there are hardly any entry barriers caused by import tariffs. Chile also features a good business banking environment, notably in its well-developed loan and credit market. Competitive businesses in Chile have a chance to thrive, and that is good news for Chile's future.

Finally, curiously, 39% of Chilean people over the age of 15 are single. This figure is equaled in South Korea, but both countries have a much higher figure than most other countries like Mexico (33%), Spain (30%), New Zealand (30%), Slovakia (30%), France (29%) or Brazil (30%). The OECD country average is 26%. Chile also has a relatively low percentage of married people (also 39%), and a relatively high percentage of people who live together, are widowed, separated or divorced (22%). Thus, for those seeking to be married, Chile could be fertile ground for finding a mate given that such a high percentage of people are not married.

All of these things help make Chile an attractive place to live or have as a home base. At the very least these things should make any businessman stop and take notice of the business potential and opportunities that the country affords. In the Age of Turmoil, places like Chile make great sense as a place to plant sustainable (or resilient) communities, or to have a second home which serves as an escape hatch from ever-imposing First World economic misery.


Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.

Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)