Chile is a coastal country located in the far southeast of South America. With a population of more than 18 million people, it is the sixth most populous nation on the continent. Chile has recently achieved a thriving economy recognized by its peers, but it still experiences high levels of hunger. Income inequality is a significant factor contributing to this issue, which has roots in the country’s historic neoliberal policies.

Neoliberalism and Income Inequality

Championed by Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet during the late 1900s, neoliberalism sought to privatize state assets, concentrating wealth and resources in the hands of the elite. The privatization of key public services such as pension funds, education and health care subjected most working class Chileans to rising prices and low wages, rendering them unable to provide for their households. 

Continued marginalization of the public sector throughout the early 2000s culminated in protests and demonstrations across the country in 2019, calling for an end to wealth disparities. However, despite the government’s subsequent decision to reform its social agenda in the larger public’s favor, its proposals have been widely deemed as insufficient, especially with regard to the informal labor market. Today, one in every four workers in Chile are informally employed due to the lack of financial and structural development in the country’s rural and peripheral areas. Among other health-related risks, informal workers are highly vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity. Yet proposals by the state to counter the effects of neoliberalism, including raising the mandatory contribution rate of pensions from 10% to 16%, revolve around social security and therefore do not extend to this subset of the population. Accordingly, progress in Chile has been limited, and does not truly encompass those in desperate need of better wages and social protections.

The Pervasiveness of Hunger

Although Chile has been assigned a low level of hunger in the 2023 Global Hunger Index, food insecurity remains a pervasive issue that still affects a large number of Chileans today. An estimated 17.6% of the Chilean population experienced moderate to severe food insecurity from 2021 to 2023. In particular, the Araucanía region of central Chile has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, with over 17% of the population currently living in poverty. Poverty in this area is perpetuated by low levels of education and underdeveloped infrastructure, which has disproportionately affected the indigenous Mapuche population. Conflicts between this group and the state over the targeted criminalization of the Mapuche people have isolated them even further from the resources needed to sustain themselves, putting them at high risk of food insecurity. 

Viewed as a whole, as in many other countries worldwide, the effects of COVID-19 have also exacerbated poverty and income inequality throughout the country. Despite Chile’s widely acknowledged success in having recovered its economy, the unemployment rate still remains high at 8.5%. Similarly, gender gaps in the market continue to persist, with women’s labor force participation at 52.6% in comparison to men’s at 71.4%. Overcoming these challenges – which are often linked to food insecurity – requires inclusive productivity growth, which may be achieved by improving job recruitment efforts and implementing labor integration policies.

Improving Conditions

One group working to address the problem of hunger in Chile is Desafío Levantemos Chile, a nonprofit organization that has provided aid to thousands of Chileans by distributing food, providing microloans and advocating for public education reform. Recently, the foundation raised a total of $9,705,288,880 to support those affected by the sudden fires and intense rains that hit Licantén and Coltauco in 2023. Through its “Let’s Lift Up the South” campaign, the organization donated 10,237 food kits and 64,024 liters of water to families in need. Other initiatives centered around alleviating hunger in Chile include the reconditioning of 10,000 smallholder farmers and the construction of housing in Vilcún, Purén and their surrounding rural areas. 

Conclusion

Many of the factors related to the high levels of hunger in Chile are endemic to the country’s socioeconomic and political status quo. The effects of neoliberalism have created a stark division of wealth and resources in the country, putting millions at risk of hunger. As in many countries around the globe, and especially in South America, the lingering effects of COVID-19 are expected to continue creating hardships for impoverished Chileans. Fortunately, groups such as Desafío Levantemos Chile have dedicated their efforts towards curbing all motivators of food insecurity, whether they be immediate emergencies or perdurable issues. 

– Jason Beck, Moon Jung Kim
Photo: Wikimedia Commons