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Contingencies and restrictions (Details Textual) - USD ($)
 12 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2020
Dec. 31, 2020
Dec. 31, 2019
Dec. 18, 2020
Nov. 30, 2020
Sep. 30, 2020
Mar. 24, 2017
Aug. 26, 2016
Dec. 31, 2010
Aug. 31, 2004
Aug. 31, 1996
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of defendant   SQM Salar and SQM Industrial                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   May 2016                  
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   19th Civil Court of Santiago                  
Lawsuits, allegations   for the alleged extracontractual liability derived from the accident occurring in July 2014 in the town of María Elena                  
Lawsuits, nominal value   $ 515,000                  
Tax contingency, amount claimed             $ 14,400,000 $ 17,800,000      
Tax contingency, amount under dispute correspond to excess charge levied   7,000,000                  
Expected claim for differences in specific tax on mining activities   43,000,000                  
Guarantee obligations   731,000                  
Environmental Loss Contingencies Component Amount $ 9,000,000                    
Provision for taxes other than income tax [member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Tax Contingency Excess Charge Amount Returned   5,800,000                  
Tax Contingency Amount Related To First Category Tax Rate Plus Interests And Fines   1,200,000                  
Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Mining Tax [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Receivables from taxes other than income taxes   90,300,000 $ 32,200,000                
Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Excess Collection [Member] | Mining Tax [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Receivables from taxes other than income taxes   19,500,000 7,000,000                
Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Recoverable Taxes [Member] | Mining Tax [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Receivables from taxes other than income taxes   5,800,000                  
Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Villella [Member] | Class Action Law Suit [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Law suits fines penalties and damages payable         $ 62,500,000            
Soquimich Comercial S.A. [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, damages owed, value   1,200,000                  
Collateral Security Carrying Value   $ 10,114,000 9,611,000                
SQM Salar [Member] | Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Two Thousand And Seventeen [Member] | Liquidation Number Sixty Five [Member] | Mining Tax [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Tax other than income payable           $ 19,500,000          
SQM Salar [Member] | Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Two Thousand And Eighteen [Member] | Liquidation Number Sixty Six [Member] | Mining Tax [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Tax other than income payable           22,100,000          
SQM Salar [Member] | Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Two Thousand Seventeen And Eighteen [Member] | Interest Payable [Member] | Mining Tax [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Interest and penalties on tax other than income tax payable           $ 22,300,000          
SQM Salar [Member] | Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Two Thousand Seventeen And Eighteen [Member] | Mining Taxes Including Interest Paid [Member] | Mining Tax [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Payment of taxes other than income taxes     63,900,000                
SQM Salar [Member] | Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Two Thousand Seventeen And Eighteen [Member] | Over Payment [Member] | Mining Tax [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Excess payment of mining taxes     $ 18,000,000                
Lawsuit two [Member] | North America Corp [Member] | Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Appeal Pending [Member] | City Of Pomona [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Law suits fines penalties and damages payable                 $ 36,000,000    
Lawsuit three [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   city of Pomona in the state of California, United States                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   SQM NA                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   December 2010                  
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   US District Court for the Central District of California                  
Lawsuits, allegations   payment of expenses and other values related to treatment of groundwater to make it apt for consumption, which involved the extraction of perchlorate in this water, which allegedly came from Chilean fertilizers                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   On May 17, 2018, district judge Gary Klausner ruled in favor of SQM NA following the jury verdict. On February 6, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit demanded a retrial before the District Court                  
Lawsuit four [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   the city of Lindsay in California, United States                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   SQM NA                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   December 2010                  
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   US District Court for the Central District of California                  
Lawsuits, allegations   payment of expenses and other values related to treatment of groundwater to make it apt for consumption, which involved the extraction of perchlorate in this water, which allegedly came from Chilean fertilizers                  
Lawsuit five [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of defendant   SQM Nitratos                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   May 2014                  
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   18th Civil Court of Santiago                  
Lawsuits, allegations   for its alleged extracontractual liability derived from an explosion occurring in 2010 in the vicinity of the town of Baquedano, which caused the death of six workers.                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   On May 7, 2019, the 18th Civil Court of Santiago dismissed the claim. The case currently is in the Santiago Court of Appeals, which will make a determination on the motion for appeal and cassation brought about on behalf of the plaintiff.                  
Lawsuits, nominal value   $ 1,200,000                  
Lawsuit six [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   Tyne and Wear Pension Fund represented by the Council of the Borough of South Tyneside acting as lead plaintiff                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   the Company                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   On October 2015                  
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   US Federal Court of the Southern District of New York                  
Lawsuits, allegations   potential damages to ADS Holders in the Company due to alleged noncompliance with the securities regulation in the United States                  
Lawsuit seven [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   13th Civil Court of Santiago                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   On March 6, 2019, the 13th Civil Court of Santiago dismissed the claim. The case is currently in the Santiago Court of Appeals, which will decide on the motion for appeal brought about by the plaintiffs.                  
Lawsuits, nominal value   $ 7,000,000                  
Lawsuit eight [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   Transportes Buen Destino S.A.                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   SQM Salar                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   January 2018                  
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   arbitration claim under CAM (arbitration and mediation center) rules                  
Lawsuits, allegations   controversies resulting from the execution of transport contracts for lithium brine and transport of salts                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   currently in the evidence stage                  
Lawsuits, nominal value   $ 3,000,000                  
Lawsuit nine [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   representatives Claudia Nathalie Mix Jiménez, Gael Fernanda Yeomans Araya, Camila Ruslay Rojas Valderrama                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   Corfo                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   September 2018                  
Lawsuits, allegations   Salar de Atacama Project Contract signed between Corfo and SQM Salar.                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   discussion stage                  
Lawsuit ten [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   The Company and FPC Ingeniería y Construcción SpA                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   May 2019                  
Lawsuits, allegations   alleged extracontractual liability derived from the traffic accident occurring                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   on March 5, 2018, involving the overturn of a truck owned by FPC and the subsequent death of its two occupants, both employees of FPC. The four children of one of the deceased workers are the plaintiffs in this case and are seeking compensation for moral damages.                  
Lawsuits, nominal value   $ 1,200,000                  
Lawsuit eleven [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   Servicios Logísticos Integrales Inversol SpA                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   arbitration claim under CAM rules against SQM Salar for controversies                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   June 24, 2019                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   evidence stage                  
Lawsuit twelve [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   Fennix Industrial SpA                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   SQM Salar                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   April 2019                  
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   First Civil Court of Concepción                  
Lawsuits, allegations   controversies resulting from the execution of a civil works and electromechanical assembly contract.                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   discussion stage                  
Lawsuits, nominal value   $ 770,000                  
Lawsuit thirteen [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   Arrigoni Ingeniería y Construcción S.A.                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   SQM Salar                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   November 2019                  
Lawsuits, domicile of litigation   arbitration court under CAM rules                  
Lawsuits, allegations   requesting the conclusion of the Works Contract known as “Expansion of Lithium Carbonate Plant Phase II                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   evidence stage                  
Lawsuits, nominal value   $ 14,600,000                  
Lawsuit fourteen [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   Sierra Gorda S.C.M.                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   the Company                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   December 16, 2011                  
Lawsuits, litigation status   discussion stage                  
Lawsuit fifteen [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Lawsuits, name of plaintiff   arbitration court under CAM rules                  
Lawsuits, name of defendant   Rotto S.A.                  
Lawsuits, lawsuit filing date   September 2020                  
Lawsuits, nominal value   $ 713,000   $ 436,000,000              
Law Suit One A [Member] | Nitratos Naturais Do Chile Ltda. [Member] | Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Appeal Pending [Member] | Fazoanda Do Estado De Sao Paulo [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Law suits fines penalties and damages payable                     $ 492
Law Suit One B [Member] | Nitratos Naturais Do Chile Ltda. [Member] | Provision for taxes other than income tax [member] | Appeal Pending [Member] | Fazoanda Do Estado De Sao Paulo [Member]                      
Statement [Line Items]                      
Law suits fines penalties and damages payable                   $ 265