Psychiatrists in Chile 2010-2022

In 2022, the number of psychiatrists registered in Chile amounted to 2,350, up from 2,213 mental health professionals reported a year earlier. This figure has been increasing since the beginning of the period analyzed, when it totaled 356 professionals, approximately 2,000 fewer doctors than those registered in 2022.

Mental health care

Overall, the Chilean mental health workforce amounted to around 20 professionals per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, of which the majority were psychiatrists and psychologists, with a total of 8.52 and 5.39 mental health professionals per 100,000 people, respectively. Simultaneously, the number of hospital beds for psychiatric patients totaled 2.7 thousand units, equivalent to a psychiatric bed density of approximately 0.1 beds per 1,000 people.

Coping with mental health problems

In fact, Chileans rely more strongly on friends and family than they do on professionals when coping with mental health problems. According to a 2022 survey, it was estimated that slightly over one-quarter of Chileans interviewed had consulted a mental health professional in the previous year. In contrast, nearly 40 percent of interviewees talked to friends and family when coping with a mental health problem.