Country Name: Bolivia

Capital: La Paz

Official Visa & Travel Information: Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Cancilleria de Bolivia (Visa Services)

Government Type: presidential republic

Background: Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simón BOLÍVAR, 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 1980. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production.

In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor and indigenous majority. In December 2009 and October 2014, President MORALES easily won reelection. His party maintained control of the legislative branch of the government, which has allowed him to continue his "process of change." In February 2016, MORALES narrowly lost a referendum to approve a constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to compete in the 2019 presidential election. However, a 2017 Supreme Court ruling stating that term limits violate human rights provided the justification for MORALES to be chosen by his party to run again in 2019. MORALES attempted to claim victory in the October 2019 election, but widespread allegations of electoral fraud, rising violence, and pressure from the military ultimately forced him to flee the country. An interim government, led by President Jeanine AÑEZ Chávez, prepared new elections that took place in October 2020; President Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora took office the following month.

Continent: South America

Population: 12,186,079 (2023 est.)

Ethnic Groups: Mestizo (mixed White and Indigenous 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.)

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.)

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.)

Economic 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

Currency: Bolivian Boliviano (BOB)

Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $3.752 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $100.778 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

Real GDP Growth Rate: 3.61% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per Capita: $8,200 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

Exports: 

• $14.467 billion (2022 est.)

  • note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 98

Export Commodities: gold, natural gas, zinc, silver, soy products, tin (2021)

Export Partners: Argentina 16%, Brazil 15%, United Arab Emirates 12%, India 10%, United States 6%, South Korea 5%, Peru 5%, Colombia 5% (2019)

Imports: 

• $14.577 billion (2022 est.)

  • note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 107

Import Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, delivery trucks, iron, buses (2019)

Import Partners: Brazil 22%, Chile 15%, China 13%, Peru 11%, Argentina 8%, United States 7% (2017)

Natural Resources: lithium, tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower

Agricultural Products: sugar cane, soybeans, potatoes, maize, sorghum, rice, milk, plantains, poultry, bananas

Industries: mining, smelting, electricity, petroleum, food and beverages, handicrafts, clothing, jewelry

Industrial Production Growth Rate: 

• 1.03% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

• Comparison Ranking: 149

Labor Force: 5.912 million (2022 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 3.55% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Natural Hazards: flooding in the northeast (March to April)

Geography:

• Total: 1,098,581 sq km

• Land: 1,083,301 sq km

• Water: 15,280 sq km

(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)

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