According to the results of the 2024 Population and Housing Census, the predominant form of tenure is home ownership (61.1%), a figure that can be divided into ownership of dwellings that are paid for (47.3%) and ownership of dwellings in the process of payment (13.8%). Meanwhile, rented housing comprises 26.2% of all dwellings. In 2002, 52.8% of dwellings were paid for, 19.7% were in the process of payment, and 17.7% of dwellings were rented.

Of the total number of occupied private dwellings with enumerated residents in 2024, 78.7% (5,040,254) are houses and 19.9% (1,274,376) are apartments. In 2002, houses represented 82.7% of dwellings and apartments 12%, which reflects a change in the composition of the country's housing stock. On the other hand, there was a notable decrease in the number of mediaguas, from 3.6% (141,145) in 2002 to 0.3% (19,936) in 2024. In four regions of Chile, the proportion of apartments has increased by more than ten percentage points (pp) since 2002: Arica y Parinacota (13.5 pp), Metropolitan Region (12.9 pp), Tarapacá (11.5 pp), and Antofagasta (10 pp).

Concerning the materials used in the construction of dwellings, the predominant material of exterior walls is masonry (43%), a figure similar to that of the 2017 Census (44.6%). The percentage of dwellings whose wall materials are in an acceptable condition rose from 91% in 2002 to 95.4% in 2024. The main materials used for roofs are metal and fiber cement sheets (68%), which is similar to the percentage observed in the 2017 Census (66.4%). As in previous censuses, more than 99% of dwellings have acceptable roofing material (99% in 2002 and 99.7% in 2024). Finally, the predominant flooring material is cement foundation with lining (94.2%), which is higher than the percentage observed in 2017 (90.7%). The percentage of dwellings whose flooring materials are in an acceptable condition rose from 88% in 2002 to 94.2% in 2024.

Unrecoverable dwellings are those dwellings in which the materials used for the walls, roof, or floor need to be replaced. (See the definition in the glossary below.) In 2002, 155,631 dwellings (4%) were unrecoverable, while in 2024 this figure was 72,642 (1.1%). The regions with the highest proportion of unrecoverable dwellings are Arica y Parinacota with 5.4% (4,098) and Tarapacá with 4.5% (5,262), while the largest number (15,590) is in the Metropolitan Region.

Overcrowding is another dimension measured in the 2024 Census. (See the definition in the glossary below.) The results show a decrease in the percentage of overcrowded dwellings from 2002 (669,065 dwellings, or 17.3%) to 2024 (388,287, or 6.1%). However, the number of overcrowded dwellings between 2017 (389,341, or 7.3%) and 2024 has remained stable.

In addition, critical overcrowding has increased over the last seven years, from 42,128 dwellings (0.8%) in 2017 to 57,332 (0.9%) in 2024.

The regions with the highest percentage of overcrowded dwellings are Tarapacá (10.9%), Arica y Parinacota (8.1%), and Antofagasta (7.9%). The regions with the highest percentage of critically overcrowded dwellings are Tarapacá (1.9%), the Metropolitan Region (1.3%), and Antofagasta (1.2%).

Access to basic services

The main source of water is the public network, which is used by 5,914,136 dwellings, or 92.3% of dwellings. The second most common source of water is wells or water wheels, which are used by 263,309 dwellings, or 4.1% of the total. Following are those who get their water from tanker trucks (2%, or 131,141 dwellings) and from rivers, springs, estuaries, etc. (1.5%, or 98,243 dwellings). The regions with the lowest proportion of dwellings with access to the public network are Los Ríos (80.1%), La Araucanía (80.2%), and Los Lagos (81.1%). The regions with the highest percentage of dwellings whose access to water is through water trucks are located in the north of the country: Atacama (10.2%), Tarapacá (9.7%), Coquimbo (5.9%), and Arica y Parinacota (5.3%). In 2002, 91% (3,548,858) of dwellings had access to the public network.

In 96.7% of dwellings, the water distribution system is a tap inside the home. In 2002, this indicator stood at 91.2% of dwellings. In contrast, 2.5% of dwellings use an on-site tap located outside the dwelling and 0.8% do not have a distribution system. In 2002, 3.4% of dwellings had no distribution system. The regions with the highest proportion of dwellings without a water distribution system are Tarapacá (5.2%), Atacama (4.8%), and Arica y Parinacota (4.4%).

The percentage of dwellings with a sanitation system connected to a sewage system or septic tank is 97%, or 6,216,588 dwellings. The regions with the lowest percentage of dwellings with these types of sanitation systems are Los Lagos (88.2%), La Araucanía (89.9%), and Los Ríos (89.8%).

The percentage of dwellings with electricity is 99.6%, of which 98.6% comes mainly from the public system, followed by solar panels (0.5%), generators (0.3%), and other sources (0.3%).

In 2002, 97.1% of dwellings had access to electricity.

The regions with the highest proportion of dwellings without access to electricity are Araucanía (1.4%) and Arica y Parinacota (1%). The regions with the highest proportion of dwellings that use renewable sources of energy for electricity are Arica y Parinacota (3.2%), Atacama (3.1%), and Coquimbo (2.3%).

The percentage of households with some type of Internet service is 93.2%, while this percentage stood at 10.2% in 2002, an increase of 83 percentage points from the latter year. The regions with the highest percentage of households with Internet access are Antofagasta (96.6%), the Metropolitan Region (95.6%), and Tarapacá (95.4%), while the regions with the lowest percentage of households with internet access are Ñuble (87.3%), La Araucanía (87.3%), and Maule (89.4%).

Note: These results do not include the housing deficit indicator. This measurement is in charge of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, which will report its delivery in the second half of 2025.

See:

Glossary (in Spanish)

Infographic (in Spanish)

Presentation (in Spanish)