According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Quillón spans an area of 423 km2 (163 sq mi) and has 15,146 inhabitants (7,699 men and 7,447 women). Of these, 7,536 (49.8%) lived in urban areas and 7,610 (50.2%) in rural areas. The population grew by 4% (584 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[3]
On January 26, 2017, while the central zone was affected by large forest fires, in Quillón the highest temperature in the country's history was recorded at 44.9 °C (112.8 °F), although this is disputed as it is thought that the forest fires influenced the thermometer reading.[4][5]