Statistics Bolivia 
Bolivia in the World
Bolivia - Introduction 2023
top of pageBackground: Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825. Much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of coups and countercoups, with the last coup occurring in 1978. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production.
Area
Total: 1,098,581 km²
Land: 1,083,301 km²
Water: 15,280 km²
Comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Land boundaries
Total: 7,252 km
Border countries: (5) Argentina 942 km; Brazil 3,403 km; Chile 942 km; Paraguay 753 km; Peru 1,212 km
Terrain: rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Natural resources: lithium, tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Land use
Agricultural land: 34.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 3.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 30.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 52.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 13.2% (2018 est.)
Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 1.92 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Geography
Note 1: landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
Note 2: the southern regions of Peru and the extreme northwestern part of Bolivia are considered to be the place of origin for the common potato, while southeast Bolivia and northwest Argentina seem to be the original development site for peanuts
Bolivia - People 2023
top of pagePopulation
Distribution: a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population; a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes: 12,186,079 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 1.06% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 37.2% (2019 est.)
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed White and Amerindian ancestry) 68%, Indigenous 20%, White 5%, Cholo/Chola 2%, African descent 1%, other 1%, unspecified 3%; 44% of respondents indicated feeling part of some indigenous group, predominantly Quechua or Aymara (2009 est.)
Note: results among surveys vary based on the wording of the ethnicity question and the available response choices; the 2001 national census did not provide "Mestizo" as a response choice, resulting in a much higher proportion of respondents identifying themselves as belonging to one of the available indigenous ethnicity choices; the use of "Mestizo" and "Cholo" varies among response choices in surveys, with surveys using the terms interchangeably, providing one or the other as a response choice, or providing the two as separate response choices
Languages: Spanish (official) 68.1%, Quechua (official) 17.2%, Aymara (official) 10.5%, Guarani (official) 0.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.1%; note - Bolivia's 2009 constitution designates Spanish and all indigenous languages as official; 36 indigenous languages are specified, including a few that are extinct (2012 est.)
Major-language samples:
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.
Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 19.6% (Evangelical (non-specific) 11.9%, Evangelical Baptist 2.1%, Evangelical Pentecostal 1.8%, Evangelical Methodist 0.7%, Adventist 2.8%, Protestant (non-specific) 0.3%), Believer (not belonging to the church) 0.9%, other 4.8%, atheist 1.7%, agnostic 0.6%, none 6.1%, unspecified 1.3% (2023 est.)
Demographic profile: Bolivia ranks at or near the bottom among Latin American countries in several areas of health and development, including poverty, education, fertility, malnutrition, mortality, and life expectancy. On the positive side, more children are being vaccinated and more pregnant women are getting prenatal care and having skilled health practitioners attend their births.
Age structure
0-14 years: 29.14% (male 1,813,044/female 1,737,699)
15-64 years: 64.03% (male 3,929,462/female 3,872,943)
65 years and over: 6.84% (2023 est.) (male 384,356/female 448,575)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 56.3
Youth dependency ratio: 48.7
Elderly dependency ratio: 12
Potential support ratio: 8.3 (2021 est.)
Population distribution: a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population; a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes
Urbanization
Urban population: 71.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas
Population: 1.936 million LA PAZ (capital), 1.820 million Santa Cruz, 1.400 million Cochabamba (2022); 278,000 Sucre (constitutional capital) (2018)
Environment
Current issues: the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,
International agreements signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 25.23 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 21.61 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 21.01 megatons (2020 est.)
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birth: 21.1 years (2008 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Infant mortality rate
Total: 22.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 24.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 20 deaths/1,000 live births
Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.2% of population
Improved rural: 80.2% of population
Improved total: 93.5% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.8% of population
Unimproved rural: 19.8% of population
Unimproved total: 6.5% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
97.8% of population
rural: 48.4% of population
total: 83.1% of population
rural: 48.4% of population
total: 83.1% of population
Unimproved urban:
2.2% of population
rural: 51.6% of population
total: 16.9% of population (2020 est.)
rural: 51.6% of population
total: 16.9% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 2.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 2.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 92.5%
Male: 96.5%
Female: 88.6% (2015)
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 17.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 16.8%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 18.4%
Bolivia - Government 2023
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Plurinational State of Bolivia
Conventional short form: Bolivia
Local long form: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
Local short form: Bolivia
Etymology: the country is named after Simon BOLIVAR, a 19th-century leader in the South American wars for independence
Capital
Name: La Paz (administrative capital); Sucre (constitutional [legislative and judicial] capital)
Geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: La Paz is a shortening of the original name of the city, Nuestra Senora de La Paz ([link]
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charg: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; red stands for bravery and the blood of national heroes, yellow for the nation's mineral resources, and green for the fertility of the land
Note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; in 2009, a presidential decree made it mandatory for a so-called wiphala - a square, multi-colored flag representing the country's indigenous peoples - to be used alongside the traditional flag
National symbols: llama, Andean condor, two national flowers: the cantuta and the patuju; national colors: red, yellow, green
National anthem
Name: "Cancion Patriotica" (Patriotic Song)
Lyrics/music: Jose Ignacio de SANJINES/Leopoldo Benedetto VINCENTI
Note: adopted 1852
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 7 (6 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:
Bolivia - Economy 2023
top of pageEconomy overview: resource-rich economy benefits during commodity booms; has bestowed juridical rights to Mother Earth, impacting extraction industries; increasing Chinese lithium mining trade relations; hard hit by COVID-19; increased fiscal spending amid poverty increases; rampant banking and finance corruption
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
$97.266 billion (2021 est.)
$91.669 billion (2020 est.)
$100.446 billion (2019 est.)
$91.669 billion (2020 est.)
$100.446 billion (2019 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real gdp per capita:
$8,100 (2021 est.)
$7,700 (2020 est.)
$8,500 (2019 est.)
$7,700 (2020 est.)
$8,500 (2019 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 67.7% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 17% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 3.8% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 21.7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -31.3% (2017 est.)
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 13.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 37.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 48.2% (2017 est.)
Agriculture products: sugar cane, soybeans, potatoes, maize, sorghum, rice, milk, plantains, poultry, bananas
Industries: mining, smelting, electricity, petroleum, food and beverages, handicrafts, clothing, jewelry
Unemployment rate:
8.51% (2021 est.)
7.9% (2020 est.)
3.82% (2019 est.)
7.9% (2020 est.)
3.82% (2019 est.)
Note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 17.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 16.8%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 18.4%
Budget
Revenues: $11.796 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $14.75 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -7.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Public debt:
49% of GDP (2017 est.)
44.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
44.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
Note: data cover general government debt and includes debt instruments issued by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities
Current account balance:
$802.112 million (2021 est.)
-$269.456 million (2020 est.)
-$1.366 billion (2019 est.)
-$269.456 million (2020 est.)
-$1.366 billion (2019 est.)
Exports:
$11.439 billion (2021 est.)
$7.383 billion (2020 est.)
$10.271 billion (2019 est.)
$7.383 billion (2020 est.)
$10.271 billion (2019 est.)
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: Argentina 16%, Brazil 15%, United Arab Emirates 12%, India 10%, United States 6%, South Korea 5%, Peru 5%, Colombia 5% (2019)
Commodities: gold, natural gas, zinc, silver, soy products, tin (2021)
Commodities note: Bolivian cocaine production remains a significant illicit trade commodity
Imports:
$10.799 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$8.261 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$11.957 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$8.261 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$11.957 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Partners: Brazil 22%, Chile 15%, China 13%, Peru 11%, Argentina 8%, United States 7% (2017)
Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, delivery trucks, iron, buses (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.73 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$5.247 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$6.455 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$5.247 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$6.455 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
Exchange rates:
bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar - 6.91 (2021 est.)
6.91 (2020 est.)
6.91 (2019 est.)
6.91 (2018 est.)
6.91 (2017 est.)
6.91 (2020 est.)
6.91 (2019 est.)
6.91 (2018 est.)
6.91 (2017 est.)
Bolivia - Energy 2023
top of pageElectricity
Access population without electricity: 2 million (2020)
Access electrification-total population: 98.5% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 100% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 95.1% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 3.834 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 8,756,690,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 1.227 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 64.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 2.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 30.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 1 million metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 65,400 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 87,800 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 240.9 million barrels (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum
Products production: 65,960 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 9,686 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 20,620 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Natural gas
Production: 15,328,422,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 2,918,839,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 11,818,215,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 302.99 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 17.786 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 12.071 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 5.715 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Bolivia - Communication 2023
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 550,011 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 12,033,941 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 100 (2021 est.)
Broadcast media: large number of radio and TV stations broadcasting with private media outlets dominating; state-owned and private radio and TV stations generally operating freely, although both pro-government and anti-government groups have attacked media outlets in response to their reporting (2019)
Internet
Country code: .bo
Users total: 7.92 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 66% (2021 est.)
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 931,918 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2020 est.)
Bolivia - Military 2023
top of pageMilitary expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2019 est.)
1.5% of GDP (2018 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2019 est.)
1.5% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military and security forces:
Bolivian Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Bolivia or FAB): Bolivian Army (Ejercito de Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB)
Ministry of Government: National Police (Policía Nacional de Bolivia, PNB) (2023)
Ministry of Government: National Police (Policía Nacional de Bolivia, PNB) (2023)
Note: the PNB includes two paramilitary forces, the Anti-Narcotics Special Forces (Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico, FELCN) and the Anti-Terrorist Group (GAT); the PNB is part of the reserves for the Armed Forces; the police and military share responsibility for border enforcement
Military service age and obligation: compulsory for all men between the ages of 18 and 22; men can volunteer from the age of 16, women from 18; service is for 12 months; Search and Rescue service can be substituted for citizens who have reached the age of compulsory military service; duration of this service is 24 months (2023)
Note 1: foreign nationals 18-22 residing in Bolivia may join the armed forces; joining speeds the process of acquiring Bolivian citizenship by naturalization
Note 2: as of 2022, women comprised about 8% of the Bolivian military's personnel
Space program
Overview: has a small space program focused on acquiring and operating satellites; operates a telecommunications satellite and two ground stations; has cooperated with China and India and member states of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs
Bolivia - Transportation 2023
top of pageNational air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 7 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 39
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 4,122,113 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 13.73 million (2018) mt-km
Airports: 855 (2021)
With paved runways: 21
With paved runways civil airports: 3
With paved runways military airports: 1
With paved runways joint use (civil-military) airports: 4
With paved runways other airports: 13
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 834
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Waterways: 10,000 km (2012) (commercially navigable almost exclusively in the northern and eastern parts of the country)
Ports and terminals
River ports: Puerto Aguirre (Paraguay/Parana)
Note: Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
Bolivia - Transnational issues 2023
top of pageDisputes international:
contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of its border regions with all of its neighbors (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru)
Bolivia-Chile: despite tariff-free access to ports in southern Peru and northern Chile, Bolivia persists with its long-standing claims to regain sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean
Bolivia-Peru: despite tariff-free access to ports in southern Peru and northern Chile, Bolivia persists with its long-standing claims to regain sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean; smuggling of archaeological artifacts from Peru to Bolivia, illegal timber and narcotics smuggling, human trafficking, and falsified documents are current issues
Bolivia-Brazil: the Roboré Accord of March 29, 1958 placed the long-disputed Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Río Mamoré, between the two towns of Guajará-Mirim (Brazil) and Guayaramerin (Bolivia), under Bolivian administration but did not resolve the sovereignty dispute
Bolivia-Argentina: contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of the border
Bolivia-Paraguay: on April 27, 2009, the president of Argentina hosted the presidents of Bolivia and Paraguay together with representatives of the five other guarantor states -- Brazil, Chile, Peru, the US, and Uruguay -- to the signing for the Final Record of the Boundary Commission in execution of the 1938 Peace Treaty between Bolivia and Paraguay
Bolivia-Chile: despite tariff-free access to ports in southern Peru and northern Chile, Bolivia persists with its long-standing claims to regain sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean
Bolivia-Peru: despite tariff-free access to ports in southern Peru and northern Chile, Bolivia persists with its long-standing claims to regain sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean; smuggling of archaeological artifacts from Peru to Bolivia, illegal timber and narcotics smuggling, human trafficking, and falsified documents are current issues
Bolivia-Brazil: the Roboré Accord of March 29, 1958 placed the long-disputed Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Río Mamoré, between the two towns of Guajará-Mirim (Brazil) and Guayaramerin (Bolivia), under Bolivian administration but did not resolve the sovereignty dispute
Bolivia-Argentina: contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of the border
Bolivia-Paraguay: on April 27, 2009, the president of Argentina hosted the presidents of Bolivia and Paraguay together with representatives of the five other guarantor states -- Brazil, Chile, Peru, the US, and Uruguay -- to the signing for the Final Record of the Boundary Commission in execution of the 1938 Peace Treaty between Bolivia and Paraguay
Illicit drugs: the third-largest source country of cocaine and a major transit country for Peruvian cocaine; coca cultivation in 2021 totaled 39,700 hectares (ha); most cocaine is exported to other Latin American countries, especially Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, for domestic consumption, or for onward transit from those countries to West Africa and Europe, not the United States.
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