Inequality in Chile from Late Colonial Times to the Early Republic

During the last decades, in recognition to the multi-dimensional character of well-being, people’s welfare has been assessed including a broader set of dimensions, going beyond the classic indicator of per capita GDP. Thus, new variables have gained relevance, such as height, education (e.g., numeracy), and real wages, among many others. In turn, our understanding of ‘inequality’ has also moved forward beyond the classic GINI of disposable income, including the analysis of height inequality, education inequality, land ownership inequality, amongst many other dimensions. Thus, this chapter provides a synthesis of the evolution of inequality for several indicators for Chile from the 1740s to the 1850s, including height inequality (as a proxy of biological welfare), numeracy inequality (as a proxy of education inequality), real wages inequality (as a proxy of income), and land ownership inequality (as a proxy of wealth). We thus provide useful evidence to assess Chilean living standards (including inequality) between late colonial times and the early republic.