Data at glance of Bolivia - average on period

History

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 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES as president -- by the widest margin of any leader since 1982 -- after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the poor and indigenous majority. In 2009 and 2014, MORALES easily won reelection, and his party maintained control of the legislative branch. In 2016, MORALES narrowly lost a referendum to approve a constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to compete in the 2019 presidential election. A subsequent Supreme Court ruling stating that term limits violate human rights provided the justification for MORALES to run despite the referendum, but rising violence, pressure from the military, and widespread allegations of electoral fraud ultimately forced him to flee the country. An interim government, led by President Jeanine AÑEZ Chávez, held new elections in 2020, and Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora was elected president.

Environment

Area: 1,098,581 sq km km2

Climate: varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

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

Ethnic characteristics

Groups: Mestizo (mixed White and Indigenous ancestry) 68%, Indigenous 20%, White 5%, Cholo/Chola 2%, African descent 1%, other 1%, unspecified 3%; 44% other 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 - Spanish and all Indigenous languages are official (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.)

Government

Capital: La Paz (administrative capital); Sucre (constitutional [legislative and judicial] capital)

Government type: presidential republic

Executive branch

Chief of state: President Rodrigo PAZ Pereira (since 8 November 2025)

Head of government: President Rodrigo PAZ Pereira (since 8 November 2025)

Legislative branch

Description: Plurinational Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional) - bicameral

Industries

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

GDP by sector: Agriculture: 13.5% (2023 est.), Industry: 24.2% (2023 est.), Services: 51.1% (2023 est.)

Trade

Export partners: Brazil 15%, India 13%, China 11%, Argentina 11%, UAE 8% (2023)

Export commodities: gold, natural gas, precious metal ore, zinc ore, soybean meal (2023)

Import partners: China 22%, Brazil 18%, Chile 13%, USA 7%, Peru 5% (2023)

Import commodities: refined petroleum, cars, pesticides, trucks, plastics (2023)

Geography

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Defence

Military expenditure: 2024: 1.2% of GDP (2024 est.)