Wikipedia

Vitacura

Vitacura is a commune in the Santiago Province of the Santiago Metropolitan Region in Chile. It is one of the most expensive and fashionable areas of Santiago. Inhabitants are primarily high income families. It belongs to the Northeastern zone of Santiago de Chile. It has 86,420 inhabitants.[4]

Vitacura
Commune
View of Vitacura
View of Vitacura
Logo
Flag


Map of the Vitacura commune within Greater Santiago
Map of the Vitacura commune within Greater Santiago
Location in Chile
Location in Chile
Vitacura
Location in Chile
Coordinates (city): 33°23′00″S 70°34′30″W / 33.38333°S 70.57500°W / -33.38333; -70.57500
Country Chile
Region Santiago Metropolitan Region
Province Santiago
Founded 9 March 1946
Government
[1] [2]
 • Type Municipality
 • Alcalde Camila Merino (Evópoli)
Area
[3]
 • Total
28.3 km2 (10.9 sq mi)
Population
 (2024)[4]
 • Total
86,420
 • Density 3,050/km2 (7,910/sq mi)
 • Urban
86,420
 • Rural
0
Time zone UTC-4 (CLT[5])
 • Summer (DST) UTC-3 (CLST[6])
Area code 56 +
Website Municipality of Vitacura
Lake and buildings in Bicentennial Park
City hall

There is an abundance of elite private schools in Vitacura and Las Condes, including Saint George's College, Colegio Santa Úrsula, Alliance Francaise, Colegio La Maisonette, Colegio Tabancura, Colegio Los Andes, Colegio Sagrados Corazones de Manquehue and Colegio San Benito.

The Costanera Norte tollway connects Vitacura with the international airport and subway stations are located in the neighboring municipality of Las Condes.

Vitacura is the site of ECLAC headquarters, home to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) headquarters in Chile, and home to Santiago's most exclusive shopping street, Avenida Alonso de Córdova.

Demographics

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As of the 2024 census, the population is 86,420, of which 46.2% are male and 53.8% are female. People under 15 years old make up 17.4% of the population, and people over 65 years old make up 19.2%. 100% of the population is urban.[4]

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1970 40,343 —    
1982 72,038 +4.95%
1992 79,375 +0.97%
2002 81,499 +0.26%
2017 85,384 +0.31%
2024 86,420 +0.17%
Source: INE[7][4], Memoria Chilena[8]
  • Autonomous household income per capita: US$86,155 (PPP, 2006)[9][10]
  • Population below poverty line: 4.4% (±2.5%) (2006)[9]
  • Regional quality of life index: 86.74 (high), ranked 3rd out of 52 communes (2005)
  • Human Development Index: 0.949, ranked 1st out of 341 communes (2003)[11]

Immigration

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As of the 2024 census, immigrants make up 10.9% of the population - 6.0% are from South America, 1.4% from North America, 2.5% from Europe, 0.7% from Asia, 0.1% from Africa, and 0.1% from Oceania.[4]

Administration

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As a commune, Vitacura is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by a mayor (alcalde, in Spanish) who is directly elected every four years. The mayor Camila Merino (Evópoli) has been in the position since 2021.[1][2] The communal council has the following members:

  • Catalina Recordon Martín (RN)
  • Verónica del Real Cardoen (REP)
  • Felipe Morandé Lavín (Evópoli)
  • Paula Domínguez Risopatron (Evópoli)
  • Carlos Cruz-Coke Carvallo (RN)
  • Ignacio Hue Wielandt (Ind/UDI)
  • Catalina Vera Atria (REP)
  • Joaquín Jerez Salvo (REP)

Vitacura belongs to Electoral District No. 11 together with the communes of Lo Barnechea, Las Condes, La Reina and Peñalolén and to the VII Senatorial District (Santiago Metropolitan Region).

It is represented in the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress for the period 2022-2026 by the following deputies:

International relations

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United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

International organizations

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The commune is home to the International District of Vitacura (IDV), also known as the United Nations Santiago Complex, which serves as the Chilean national and Latin American regional headquarters for several international organizations associated with the United Nations (UN), including the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC),[12] the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Chile (UNHCR Chile),[13] the South America regional office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),[14] the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office in Chile,[15] the Latin America and the Caribbean regional office of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-RLC),[16] the International Labour Organization Southern Cone Office,[17] the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO),[18] the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Development Programme in Chile (UNDP Chile),[19] UN Women Chile, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU Chile), the World Food Programme (WFP Chile), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Chile), and the national office of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD Chile).

In addition, the International District of Vitacura (IDV) is home to the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO Chile),[20] while the national headquarters of CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean is currently under development. The complex will also host the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center for Latin America and the Caribbean, jointly administered with the Municipality of Vitacura.[21]

International trade and investment

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In the field of international trade and investment, the main actors located in Vitacura include the Chilean-Chinese Chamber of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (CHICIT),[22] the Chile-India Chamber of Commerce (CAMINDIA),[23] and the Chilean-Uruguayan Chamber of Commerce.[24]

Internationalization in higher education

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In the field of international relations and higher education, the main institutions located in Vitacura include the Chilean office of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO Chile)[25] and the International Relations Directorate of INACAP.[26]

Vitacura is also home to Chilean representations of foreign universities, including the regional office of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) of Harvard University,[27] Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI),[28] and the Santiago Global Center of Columbia University.[29]

Embassies

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Shopping

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This commune is one of the most expensive and fashionable areas of Santiago and boutiques of many of the world's leading luxury retailers are located in Vitacura. These stores include Louis Vuitton, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Swarovski, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna, Brooks Brothers, Hermès, MaxMara, Bang & Olufsen, and Hugo Boss, as well as many others.

Health

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Vitacura has access to a comprehensive healthcare network composed of public, private, and university-affiliated medical facilities, reflecting the commune's socioeconomic profile and its integration within the eastern sector of Greater Santiago's healthcare system.[30]

Primary public healthcare services are provided through municipal health centers, while secondary and tertiary public care is generally accessed through hospitals located in neighboring communes operating under Chile's national public health system (FONASA).[31]

Vitacura is also home to major private healthcare providers. Among the most prominent is Clínica Alemana de Santiago, one of Chile's largest private hospitals, which provides tertiary-level medical services, emergency care, advanced diagnostic services, and specialized treatments. The clinic serves residents of Vitacura as well as the wider Santiago metropolitan area.[32]

Private healthcare services in the commune are commonly accessed through Chile's private health insurance system (ISAPREs).[33] In addition, Vitacura hosts numerous specialized medical centers, outpatient clinics, and wellness facilities focused on preventive medicine, rehabilitation, and elderly care, contributing to health outcomes and quality-of-life indicators that are above national averages.[34]

Education

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Vitacura hosts several international educational institutions serving both local and expatriate communities.

The main campus of the Lycée Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry de Santiago, a French international school, is located in Vitacura.[35]

The Deutsche Schule Santiago (German School of Santiago) operates its Vitacura campus for primary education, enrolling students from first through sixth grade. The institution also maintains additional campuses in Las Condes and Cerro Colorado for other educational levels.[36]

Chartwell International School, a preschool and primary-level institution, is located in the Lo Curro sector of Vitacura.[37]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Asociación Chilena de Municipalidades" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Municipality of Vitacura" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "División Político Administrativa y censal, 2007" [Political, Administrative and Census Division, 2007] (PDF) (in Spanish). INE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-14.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Resultados – Censo 2024" [Results – 2024 Census] (in Spanish). INE.
  5. ↑ "Chile Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  6. ↑ "Chile Summer Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  7. ↑ "Censo de Población y Vivienda" [Census of Population and Housing] (in Spanish). INE.
  8. ↑ "Censos de 1970-1982" [1970-1982 Censuses] (PDF) (in Spanish). Memoria Chilena.
  9. 1 2 Casen survey, 2006 Archived 2010-07-28 at the Wayback Machine , Ministry of Planning.
  10. ↑ World Economic Outlook Database, April 2010, International Monetary Fund.
  11. ↑ "Las Trayectorias del Desarrollo Humano en las Comunas de Chile (1994–2003)" United Nations Development Programme, Government of Chile.
  12. ↑ "ECLAC". www.cepal.org. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  13. ↑ "Chile". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  14. ↑ "Chile". OHCHR. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  15. ↑ "United Nations in Chile". chile.un.org. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  16. ↑ "FAO in Chile". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  17. ↑ "Chile | International Labour Organization". www.ilo.org. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  18. ↑ "Chile - PAHO/WHO". www.paho.org. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  19. ↑ "Chile". UNDP. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  20. ↑ "ESO — The European Southern Observatory". www.eso.org. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  21. ↑ "CAF and the Municipality of Vitacura sign agreement to promote an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center in Chile". CAF. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  22. ↑ "CHICIT". www.chicit.cl. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  23. ↑ "LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  24. ↑ "Camara Chileno Uruguaya De Comercio A.G. Company Profile". EMIS. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  25. ↑ "FLACSO Chile". Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  26. ↑ "Inacap Internacional".
  27. ↑ "Chile Office | David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies". www.drclas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  28. ↑ "About Us". AUI NRAO Chile. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  29. ↑ "Santiago Homepage | Columbia Global Centers". globalcenters.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  30. ↑ Ilustre Municipalidad de Vitacura – Salud
  31. ↑ FONASA – Red Asistencial
  32. ↑ Clínica Alemana de Santiago – Institucional
  33. ↑ Superintendencia de Salud – ISAPREs
  34. ↑ Ministerio de Salud de Chile
  35. ↑ "Home." Lycée Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry de Santiago. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  36. ↑ "Dirección y Contacto Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine ." Deutsche Schule Santiago. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  37. ↑ "Chartwell International School". Chartwell International School.
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