Chileans in Australia
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The first known Chilean to arrive in Australia was the former President of Chile, General Ramon Freire, who came in 1838 as a political exile.1 The number of Chilean migrants to Australia remained small up until the late 1960s. Economic and political uncertainty in the early 1970s led to an increase in Chilean migrants, many of whom were educated and from a high social class. When Pinochet became the leader of Chile in 1973, the number of Chileans in Australia grew rapidly through the assistance of the Australian government under former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Approximately 56.9% of people born in Chile arrived in Australia during Pinochet’s regime (between 1971 and 1990).2
While some returned home at the end of Pinochet's regime and the restoration of democracy (see Military Dictatorship (1973–1990) in Core Concepts), migration from Chile remained steady, with many arriving under the Family Migration Stream.3 Chilean migration to Australia has more than doubled in the last 10 years, with 16.7% arriving between 2016 and 2021 compared to 5.8% between 2011 and 2015.2 This increase is largely due to political, economic and social tensions, reflected in protests that occurred from 2019 to 2022 throughout the country.4, 5
As of the 2021 census, most of Australia’s Chile-born population holds Australian citizenship (69.7%).2 Among the remaining people born in Chile in Australia, 46% hold a permanent visa (the most common being permanent family visa), and 54% hold a temporary visa (the most common being temporary student visa).6 As of 2024, over 6,000 of Australia’s international students studying on a student visa are from Chile.7
The Chilean community in Australia maintain cultural ties in a number of ways. Nearly half of those born in Chile identify as Catholic (49.9%),2 and more than three-quarters speak Spanish at home (78.9%).8 The Chilean community in Australia are celebrated through various groups and associations, including groups focused on human rights issues in Chile, as well as sporting and social groups.