How foreign born women are cushioning the fertility deficit in Chile: Video

As Chile faces a historic drop in fertility rates, births to foreign women are increasingly playing a key role in sustaining the country’s overall birth numbers, according to recent demographic data and studies by national statistics agencies.

In recent years, Chile’s fertility rate has fallen to one of the lowest in Latin America, driven by social, economic, and cultural changes. Factors such as delayed childbearing, rising living costs, greater educational and career opportunities for women, and changing family dynamics have contributed to this demographic shift.

However, foreign-born women residing in Chile are helping to cushion the impact, making up a growing proportion of total births. Many of these women come from neighboring countries such as Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Haiti, and Colombia, and tend to have children at younger ages and in greater numbers compared to Chilean-born women.