Chile is located at the extreme southwest of South America, and shares borders with Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. The country has a rugged and mountainous topography and is vulnerable to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Chile is a unitary republic with a stable democratic political system, in which the State has three independent branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Located in southwestern South America, Chile has a population of Life expectancy at birth is 80 years for men and 85 years for women The national territory includes 15 regions, subdivided into 54 provinces and communes.
In , the population distribution showed an expansive trend in the over age groups, with the younger age groups remaining stable. By , the structure had become regressive due to reduced fertility and mortality rates associated with an aging population and greater life expectancy at birth. Population Division. New York; Between and , gross domestic product GDP increased by an annual average of 4. During that period the country saw gradual development economically, socially, and with regard to health.
The country is close to achieving universal coverage of drinking water and sanitation services in both urban and rural areas. In , Along with increased coverage, there have been improvements in the quality of water and sanitation services. Chile is the only country in the world that has privatized water supply services 1.
Chile is vulnerable to a wide range of severe natural disasters. Although structural vulnerability to earthquakes is low, due to earthquake-resistant construction governed by a strict building code, 2 until the country had no systemic regulations concerning disaster risk management.
As a result, during the September earthquake 8. In comparison, the figures were The Gini inequality coefficient has remained around 0. Figure 2. Figure 3. There have been major improvements in living and health conditions, but significant differences between socioeconomic groups persist 3.
