Foreign companies concentrated their investments mainly in three sectors: Energy, with US$ 36,817 million; Mining, with US$ 8,649 million; and Global Services, with US$ 5,400 million.
The portfolio of foreign investment projects in Chile reached US$ 56,234 million in 2024, an amount 68% higher than that registered in 2023, according to InvestChile. The foreign investment promotion agency in Chile specified that this is the highest figure since its creation and that there are 474 projects from foreign companies in different stages of development that have managed to create more than 21,000 potential direct jobs.
Of the total figure, US$ 14.46 billion correspond to investment in materialization (initiatives that are already established and in the development phase in the country). The 113 projects corresponding to that stage generated 4,605 formal and quality jobs.
The director of the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency, Karla Flores, indicated that the increase is largely explained by projects related to the green hydrogen industry, which totaled US$ 25,617 at the end of last year.
“Chile has committed to becoming a major international player in green hydrogen issues, with an international promotion strategy in key markets and opportunities that highlight our privileged conditions for the production of a clean and sustainable fuel, which is essential to combat climate change in the world. These figures reflect the success of this commitment, and the work of the Agency, as well as the consolidation of our country's leadership in sectors such as Mining and Technological Infrastructure,” said Flores.
For the Minister of Economy, Nicolás Grau, the above confirms that Chile has attractive conditions and investment opportunities linked to the energy transition and climate change mitigation, which have confirmed the interest of foreign companies. “Chile continues to stand out as an attractive investment hub in Latin America and together with InvestChile we are working to bring companies that help economic development throughout the country.”
InvestChile stated that 88% of the total investment portfolio (equivalent to US$49.468 billion) corresponds to projects located outside the Metropolitan Region.
EVOLUTION BY SECTORS
Foreign companies concentrated their investments mainly in three sectors: Energy, with US$ 36,817 million; Mining, with US$ 8,649 million; and Global Services with US$ 5,400 million. In both Energy and Mining, the amount of projects grew compared to 2023: 131% and 6%, respectively.
Other sectors that registered increases in the amount to be invested were Infrastructure, with a rise of 130%, after reaching US$ 3,390 million; and the Food Industry, which reached US$ 1,265 million, recording an increase of 41% compared to 2023.
Meanwhile, the Global Services and Technology sector led the generation of potential employment with 8,325 potential jobs by the end of 2025, followed by Mining with 5,882 jobs; and in third place was Energy, with 3,304 jobs. In all these sectors, potential job creation grew compared to 2023: 3% in the case of Global Services, 22% for Mining and 157% in the case of Energy.
THE UNITED STATES, THE COUNTRY THAT INVESTED THE MOST
Regarding the countries of origin of foreign investment projects, companies from the United States accounted for the largest amount, with US$ 20.51 billion. Investments from Austria followed with US$ 11.052 billion, while companies from Canada came in third place with US$ 6.275 billion.
For these three countries, the 2024 figure is higher than the previous year: while the United States increased by 107% and Canada by 18%, Austria is among the main countries of origin for investment for the first time. In 2023, the European economy had only US$ 52 million in the agency's portfolio, a situation that changed radically last year with the entry of the HNH project by the companies Austria Energy and Ökowind, for US$ 11 billion, in which the Danish company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners is also a partner.
Another element worth highlighting is that for the first time, InvestChile's portfolio includes projects from Saudi Arabia, with a potential investment of US$1.4 billion.
