Summary
What the comuna hasSource: OpenStreetMap
Colchane es una comuna y pueblo del Norte Grande de Chile, ubicado en la Provincia del Tamarugal, correspondiente a la Región de Tarapacá (Chile), en la frontera con Bolivia.
Liveability index · EIU style
43.5 /100AuthoritiesWho leads the comuna, its council, sessions and lobbying requests
Mayor · 2024-2028Source: DecideChile · SERVEL

Mayoral history · 7 terms
SERVEL · TRICEL (1992-2008) · DecideChile (2024) · Wikidata (pre-1992)
Concejo MunicipalSource: DecideChile · SERVEL
Concejo MunicipalSource: DecideChile · SERVEL
Official council minutesSource: CPLT · Active Transparency inventory (Law 20.285)
Official council minutesSource: CPLT · Active Transparency inventory (Law 20.285)
- Acta del Consejo Municipal - Mes de Enero - N°01 N° 1 · 2026 ↗
- Acta del Consejo Municipal - Mes de Enero - N°02 N° 2 · 2026 ↗
- Acta del Consejo Municipal - Mes de Enero - N°03 N° 3 · 2026 ↗
- Acta del Consejo Municipal - Mes de Febrero - N°04 N° 4 · 2026 ↗
- Acta del Consejo Municipal - Mes de Febrero - N°05 N° 5 · 2026 ↗
- Acta del Consejo Municipal - Mes de Febrero - N°06 N° 6 · 2026 ↗
Documents indexed from the Transparency Portal (Law 20.285); they link to the PDF published by the municipality.
What the council resolvesSource: Official minutes · AI extraction (ongoing)
What the council resolvesSource: Official minutes · AI extraction (ongoing)
| Resolution | Type | Amount | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 · Puntos varios (varios temas) | Other | — | — |
| 5.6 · Modificación de los viajes a Santa Cruz de la Sierra, del concejal Juan Choque | Other | — | unanimidad |
| 5.5 · Entrega de balance de ejecución presupuestaria tercer trimestre | Other | — | — |
| 5.4 · Aprobación de la Política de Recursos Humanos | Regulation | — | unanimidad |
| 5.3 · Aprobación de la Modificación Presupuestaria del reintegro de educación EIB de $1,250,000 (depto Educación) | Budget amendment | $1.250.000 | unanimidad |
| 5.2 · Aprobación del PADEM 2018 para la aprobación por el Concejo Municipal (depto Educación) | Subsidy | — | unanimidad |
Resolutions voted by the council, automatically extracted from the official minutes (extraction ongoing: coverage grows as the 94.917 indexed minutes are processed). May contain reading errors; the official document is the municipality's PDF.
Comptroller auditsSource: CGR · Municipal Observatory
Comptroller auditsSource: CGR · Municipal Observatory
| Year | Findings | Altam. | Compl. | Median. | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 42 | 2 | 24 | 16 | — |
| 2017 | 46 | 3 | 12 | 28 | — |
| 2015 | 6 | — | 2 | 4 | — |
CGR severity classification · audit findings on the municipality and its corporations
Who requests meetings with the municipalitySource: InfoLobby · CPLT (Law 20,730)
Who requests meetings with the municipalitySource: InfoLobby · CPLT (Law 20,730)
- FCFarmacias Cruz Verde S.A.Lobby / interest management · 2 audiencias · 2023
- ESEasytax SpALobby / interest management · 2 audiencias · 2021
- GYGuard You SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2026
- QQuinuacoopLobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2018
- PRPozo, Ríos, Rodríguez y Torres Ltda. (Zecovery)Lobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2022
- FSFedok SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2023
- SESmart Education SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2022
- NFNueva Fuente SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2022
- LCLirmi Chile SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2023
- ISInnuvo SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2023
- SESantillana Educacion Chile SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2026
- ITIngenieria TecnoplussLobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2023
- CCComply ChileLobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2026
- AMAeronáutica Mediterráneo SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2026
- ASAscerto Soluciones SpALobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2026
- OAOtec Agencia Internacional de Formación para la Excelencia Ltda.Lobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2018
- ALAbbott Laboratories de Chile Ltda.Lobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2026
- JDJunta de Vecino CariquimaLobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2018
- SLSisinf Ltda.Lobby / interest management · 1 audiencia · 2025
Organisations that registered Lobby Law meetings with this municipality. Registering the meeting is mandatory for the official, so the list shows who asked to be heard, not whether they got anything.
PopulationWho lives here, how they study, their healthcare and more
Population and living conditionsSource: INE · CENSO · MINEDUC · ADIS
Population trend
How it has changedSource: Official INE series 2002–2026 (2017 base).
See the full trajectory to 2050 →INE projects comuna population only through 2035; the 2050 values are an own estimate by the monitor, anchored to the official INE 2050 national total (21,626,079 inhab, 32.1% aged 60+). Not an official comuna figure.
| Indicator | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Homes with public water supply (2017 Census) | 39,07 % | CENSO 2017 2017 |
| School disengagement (leaves the system) | 2,8 % | MINEDUC 2023 |
| School enrollment | 13 students | MINEDUC · aggregated by hexagons 2024 |
| Municipal enrollment | 100 % | MINEDUC · aggregated by hexagons 2024 |
| PAES reading comprehension (DEMRE) | 461,1 pts | DEMRE · MINEDUC datos abiertos 2026 |
| PAES mathematics M1 (DEMRE) | 508,1 pts | DEMRE · MINEDUC datos abiertos 2026 |
| poblacion_censo | 790 inh. | 2024 Census 2024 |
| Income poverty (CASEN 2022) | 22,3 % | CASEN 2022 · SAE Observatorio MDSF 2022 |
| Pobreza multidimensional (CASEN 2022) | 30 % | CASEN 2022 · SAE Observatorio MDSF 2022 |
| Indigenous peoples | 79,87 % | 2024 Census 2024 |
The PAES year is that of the admission process: the test is sat in November of the previous year. The average covers only those who registered to apply to university —not every secondary-school graduate— and groups them by the comuna of the school they graduated from, not by where the student lives. Here it rests on 9 students registered for the PAES — far too few: this comuna’s average is unreliable.
Registro Social de Hogares
| Elderly (60+) | 270 | 18% |
| Children and adolescents (<18) | 362 | 24% |
| Foreign nationals | 230 | 15% |
| Belonging to indigenous peoples | 1.376 | 90% |
| People with moderate/severe dependency | 12 | 1% |
| Single-person households | 553 | 62% |
A monthly administrative snapshot of the Social Household Registry (self-registration to access benefits), as of abril 2026. The "bracket 40" is the socioeconomic rating of the most vulnerable 40%. It is a registry, not a survey: it complements CASEN (biennial) with fresh data, but well-off comunas under-register. Source: ADIS, Ministry of Social Development and Family.
School educationSource: MINEDUC Open Data 2025
Aggregate of all the comuna's schools (RBD → comuna). Pass/withdrawal and attendance are from the 2025 school year. SIMCE is not published as open data (managed by the Quality Agency, by request only); the available quality proxy is passing, dropout and attendance. The PAES result appears in the social section.
Municipal healthcare (primary care)Source: SINIM · MINSAL / FONASA
REM-26 section A (DEIS/MINSAL): comprehensive family visits, summed across the comuna's facilities. The last year is partial while DEIS consolidates monthly reports.
| Center | Type | Provider type | Enrollees | % brackets A-B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consultorio General Rural Colchane | Family Health Center (CESFAM) | Municipal | 1.262 | 68% |
| Posta de Salud Rural Cariquima | Rural Health Post (PSR) | Municipal | 153 | 84% |
| Posta de Salud Rural Enquelga | Rural Health Post (PSR) | Municipal | 57 | 82% |
FONASA brackets A-B ≈ lowest incomes (A: without resources). Source: FONASA, as of Dec 31, 2025, DEIS code.
Indigenous peoplesSource: 2024 Census (INE) · CONADI via IDE SMA
INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT AREA The comuna is part of the ADI JIWASA ORAJE (art. 26, Indigenous Law 19.253).
| People | People | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Aymara | 546 | 86.5% |
2024 Census: people who consider themselves as belonging to an indigenous people (small counts are suppressed for confidentiality at the source and not shown). Communities: CONADI national registry as of March 2024 — Araucanía and Los Lagos not refreshed in that update, the count is a floor. Land grants: 2022 registry.
Foreign-born populationSource: 2024 Census · INE
International immigrants per the 2024 Census (people born outside Chile living in the comuna). Nationwide they are 1,608,650 people, 8.8% of the population.
Housing and housing deficitSource: MINVU (Encampment Registry + 2024 Census deficit + subsidies) · INE
Encampments: MINVU National Registry 2024 (irregular settlements and the families living in them). Quantitative deficit: homes missing per the 2024 Census (doubling-up + unrecoverable overcrowding). Permits: new homes authorized by the Works Directorate in 2024 (INE) — measures future construction, not stock. Subsidies: MINVU by application comuna — DS49 accrues beneficiaries by resolution year; DS01 and DS52 accrue payments by application cohort (national totals in the source file differ ~1–6% from the comuna sum; the comuna series is published).
What the homes are like
Housing type: 2017 Census · tenure: 2002 Census (INE).
ResourcesBudget, spending, municipal procurement and more
Benefits under special regimesSource: Laws/SII/BCN/MTT/Treasury · deep-research verified
Fiscal or economic treatments that apply only to this comuna or its zone, not the rest of Chile. The chip color shows who it reaches: municipality, community, residents, companies or workers.
17% de las remuneraciones imponibles (hasta tope base ~$182.000 reajustable IPC) de trabajadores con domicilio y trabajo permanente en la zona. En Aysén/Magallanes/Chiloé/Palena solo si la remuneración supera en 20% el salario mínimo.
Tarifas rebajadas en 5 modos de transporte (+900.000 personas), con complemento extra para zonas extremas/australes. La "Tarifa Cero" da pasaje GRATUITO, pero solo para 65+ y personas con discapacidad (con sola cédula), en 130+ servicios incluyendo barcazas. Para el residente común es descuento, no gratuidad.
Sobresueldo mensual a funcionarios públicos según aislamiento/costo de vida: 80% del sueldo base (art. 7 DL 249). A los funcionarios municipales llega vía art. 25 del DL 3.551/1980 y el monto se aumenta en 40% (Ley 19.354) — salud primaria municipal (Ley 19.378) la percibe sin ese aumento; asistentes de la educación y personal de corporaciones no la perciben (Código del Trabajo). El %/territorio usa la división de 1974: dentro de una comuna pueden regir % mayores en localidades específicas (retenes, islas, cordillera) no reflejados acá; la CGR resuelve caso a caso. Comunas sin asignación no aparecen.
Budget and revenue sourcesSource: SINIM · SUBDERE
Ingreso total y desglose de ingresos propios
Total revenue · trend (2001–2025)
Own revenue breakdown (IPP) · 2025
Special-law revenues · 2025
Distributed by law to specific comunas; they arrive via transfers.
Revenue by sector · 2025
Municipal Common Fund balance · 2025
Evolución por fuente de ingreso
Permanent own revenue (IPP) · trend
FCM received · trend
State transfers · trend
Municipal spending and budget executionSource: SINIM · SUBDERE
Municipal spending and budget executionSource: SINIM · SUBDERE
Accrued spending · trend
Distribution by management area · 2025
What the budget is spent on · 2025
| Spending line | Amount | % of spending | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal healthcare (primary care) · comuna health-sector spending | $1.435.867.000 | 31.0% | |
| Municipal personnel · municipal wages and fees | $1.323.172.000 | 28.5% | |
| Goods and services (operations) · supplies, contracts, maintenance | $573.703.000 | 12.4% | |
| Investment (works and projects) | $312.509.000 | 6.7% | |
| Transfers to education | $200.000.000 | 4.3% | |
| Councillor stipends | $120.593.000 | 2.6% | |
| Electricity (facilities) | $49.403.000 | 1.1% | |
| Travel allowances | $29.728.000 | 0.6% | |
| Transfers to health | $20.000.000 | 0.4% | |
| Commissions and representation | $17.806.000 | 0.4% | |
| Water (facilities) | $2.598.000 | 0.1% |
Share of total accrued spending. Lines overlap (personnel sits inside several areas), so they don't add to 100%. Source: SINIM.
Personal y dotación municipal
Spending composition · 2025
Personnel by contract type · 2025
Municipal headcount · 2023
Municipal staff by contract status (SINIM, 2023). Cost per staffer = annual spending of the type ÷ same-year headcount.
Inversión, servicios básicos y obras
Investment and authorities' expenses · 2025
Basic and general services · 2025
Final works approvals (DOM) · per year
Building permits issued · per year
What it buys · Mercado PúblicoSource: ChileCompra · open data
Open profile in Monitor Mercado Público ↗
What it buys · Mercado PúblicoSource: ChileCompra · open data
Purchase-order amount · trend
| Top suppliers | Amount | POs |
|---|---|---|
| Ingenieria y Construcciones Real Norte SpA | $3.949.837.357 | 63 |
| Sociedad Constructora e Inmobiliaria Choque SpA | $2.133.026.347 | 35 |
| Transporte y Servicios Patricio Garcia EIRL | $2.012.380.284 | 195 |
| Abimael | $1.478.821.561 | 127 |
| Transportes y Obras Civiles Eben Ezer Ltda. | $1.476.697.348 | 45 |
| Constructora Guerra y Cía. Ltda. | $1.399.955.387 | 1 |
| Sociedad de Servicios en Obras Civiles y Construcc | $1.330.123.333 | 1 |
| Sceich Ltda. | $1.314.206.038 | 29 |
Purchase mechanism · 2026
| Tender | $542.270.935 | 44% |
| Agile Purchase | $454.619.000 | 37% |
| Direct award discretionary | $235.906.591 | 19% |
| Framework Agreement | $9.807.507 | 1% |
Companies and economic activitySource: SII · company statistics and roster (domicile/HQ)
Pyramid by sales bracket
Largest companies domiciled in the comuna
| Company | Line of business | Sales bracket | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingenieria y Construcciones Real Norte SpA | COMERCIO AL POR MAYOR Y AL POR MENOR; REPARAC | Medium 1 | 5 |
| I Municipalidad de Colchane | ADMINISTRACION PUBLICA Y DEFENSA; PLANES DE S | Small 1 | 162 |
SII roster of legal entities (public). Due to tax secrecy sales come in brackets, never amounts. The comuna is that of the domicile/HQ: operations may be elsewhere.
Investment in SEIA projects
| Project | Owner | Status | Investment (US$M) | Constr. jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logística y transporte de Sustancias peligrosas en las Regiones XV, I,DIA | Sociedad de Servicios y Transportes | Under Review | 6,3 | — |
Investment DECLARED by the owner upon entering SEIA (not necessarily materialized; the RCA expires after 5 years without works). Multi-comuna projects: prorated investment, jobs counted in full. Jobs = declared peak labor (source PRISMA/SOFOFA). Source: e-SEIA + PRISMA.
TerritoryClimate, biodiversity, national heritage, SEIA-approved projects and more
Roads and motorwaysSource: OpenStreetMap · 2026 snapshot
Road infrastructure of the MOP and concession holders, not the municipality: it measures how much highway crosses the territory, not municipal management. Only comunas with roads of this category are counted.
Biodiversity and protected areasSource: SNASPE · SEIA baselines
Species of flora, fauna and funga documented in the baselines of the projects evaluated by SEIA in the comuna — what their environmental studies recorded in the territory. Conservation status (RCE/IUCN) and Chilean endemism are flagged.
CR critically endangered · EN endangered · VU vulnerable · NT near threatened (Species Classification Regulation / IUCN). ★ endemic to Chile. Extracted from SEIA studies by kingdom; presence reflects what baselines characterized, not a census.
1 Wetlands · 38 haSource: National Wetlands Inventory · SIMBIO (MMA)
1 Wetlands · 38 haSource: National Wetlands Inventory · SIMBIO (MMA)
| Code | Wetland | Hectares |
|---|---|---|
| HPU-01-02 | Quebrada Camiña | 38 /503 |
Area = hectares of wetland within the comuna boundary (apportioned using the DPA table of each record). For wetlands shared between comunas, "portion / total" is shown. "Urban" = urban wetland (HUR code). Official source migrated to the SBAP (Law 21,600).
Large projects approved by SEIASource: SEIA · approved projects
Projects with an environmental permit (RCA) approved by SEIA and declared investment above US$ 10 million, located in the comuna according to the case file and grouped by sector. Every sector with at least one project is listed: this is not a ranking or a selection. 3 projects totaling US$ 93 million, approved between 2009 and 2012. When a project spans several comunas, its investment is split among them.
Approved is not the same as built or operating: the RCA authorises the project, but some were never carried out and others have since closed.
Source: projects with an RCA approved by SEIA (investment declared by the developer, split among the comunas the project spans). Under each sector are its two largest projects by investment. It is the best public proxy for large industrial sites; SERNAGEOMIN’s registry of active mining operations (by mineral and type of operation) is a layer not yet incorporated.
Basic utilitiesSource: SISS · CNE · MINEDUC
Almost no comuna has its own utility: it is served by a major regional concession holder. Water = urban operational territory (SISS; rural goes via APR); electric = concession distributor per the tariff decree (CNE); higher education = university, IP and CFT campuses (MINEDUC/SIES), with the nearest comuna when there are none.
Green areasSource: SINIM · SUBDERE (2023)
Green areasSource: SINIM · SUBDERE (2023)
Municipally maintained green area per inhabitant (SINIM). The National Urban Development Council recommends a minimum of 10 m²/inhab (WHO, ~9). Self-reported by municipalities, with quality varying across comunas.
National heritageSource: National Monuments Council (Feb 2026)
National heritageSource: National Monuments Council (Feb 2026)
Monuments declared by decree (official CMN roster). Excludes archaeological and public monuments. Declaration entails legal protection and intervention restrictions.
Territorial burdensSource: SUBDERE (waste, Jun 2023) · Gendarmería (Jun 2025) · SISS (WWTP)
Territorial burdensSource: SUBDERE (waste, Jun 2023) · Gendarmería (Jun 2025) · SISS (WWTP)
Official registries: they exclude illegal dumps and rural WWTPs (no consolidated public registry).
Forest firesSource: CONAF · Occurrence and damage statistics (2023-2024)
Occurrence and area affected by wildfires (CONAF). The 5-season cumulative gives a fairer picture than a single year: fire is episodic and big catastrophes concentrate in few seasons. The area is comuna-wide, not just urban.
Climate and climate changeSource: ARClim · MMA + CR2/UC (CMIP6 modeling)
Modeled climatology (CMIP6 downscaling ~5 km): present ≈ 1980-2010, projection ≈ 2035-2065 middle scenario. Not recent weather observation.
SafetyCrime, road crashes and municipal security infrastructure
Crimes (police cases)Source: CEAD · Ministry of Public Security
| Crime | Cases | Rate/100k |
|---|---|---|
| Property damage | 33 | 2.118 |
| Drug-related crimes | 19 | 1.220 |
| Alcohol and drug use in public spaces | 18 | 1.155 |
| Receiving stolen goods | 17 | 1.091 |
| Minor injuries | 12 | 770 |
| Weapons-related crimes | 11 | 706 |
| Burglary of an inhabited place | 10 | 642 |
| Crimes and offenses under the arms law | 9 | 578 |
| Threats | 9 | 578 |
| Larceny | 9 | 578 |
| Domestic violence | 8 | 514 |
| Robbery with violence or intimidation | 8 | 514 |
Showing the 12 crimes with most cases of 22.
Police cases (reports + arrests) recorded by Carabineros and PDI. Not victimization (ENUSC measures the real figure, higher due to underreporting). The rate uses INE 2024 population. Source: CEAD, Ministry of Public Security.
What the municipality does
Municipal security infrastructure and staff declared to SINIM (since 2016). Excludes Carabineros and PDI, which are national.
Road crashesSource: CONASET · Data Observatory (2024)
Crashes georeferenced by CONASET (urban + highway) during 2024. The only per-comuna source; covers ~70% of the country's deaths (non-geolocatable ones are excluded), so it slightly underestimates the total. Pedestrian collision is the leading cause of pedestrian death.