Bolivia

presidential republic

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, Pueblo Nuevo de Nuestra Se ora de La Paz (New Town of Our Lady of Peace ); Sucre is named after Antonio Jos de SUCRE (1795-1830), the second president of Bolivia note: at approximately 3,630 m above sea level, La Paz's elevation makes it the highest capital city in the world

chief of state: President Rodrigo PAZ Pereira (since 8 November 2025) head of government: President Rodrigo PAZ Pereira (since 8 November 2025) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president election/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot one of 3 ways: candidate wins at least 50% of the vote, or at least 40% of the vote and 10% more than the next highest candidate; otherwise, a second round is held and the winner determined by simple majority vote; president and vice president are elected by majority vote to serve a 5-year term; no term limits most recent election date: 17 August 2025 election results: 2025: Rodrigo PAZ Pereira elected president in second round; percent vote in first round - Rodrigo PAZ Pereira (PDC) 32.1%, Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ram rez (LIBRE) 26.7%, Samuel DORIA MEDINA Auza (UN) 19.7%, Andr nico RODR GUEZ Ledezma (AP) 8.5%, Manfred REYES Villa (APB S mate) 6.8%, Eduardo DEL CASTILLO (MAS) 3.2%, other 3%; percent of vote in second round - Rodrigo PAZ Pereira 55%, Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ram rez 45% 2020: Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora elected president; percent of vote - Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora (MAS) 55.1%; Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (CC) 28.8%; Luis Fernando CAMACHO Vaca (Creemos) 14%; other 2.1% 2019: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma reelected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (MAS) 61%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana (UN) 24.5%; Jorge QUIROGA Ramirez (POC) 9.1%; other 5.4% expected date of next election: 2030 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

legislature name: Plurinational Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional) legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (consists of 12 judges organized into civil, penal, social, and administrative chambers); Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (consists of 7 primary and 7 alternate magistrates); Plurinational Electoral Organ (consists of 7 members and 6 alternates); National Agro-Environment Court (consists of 5 primary and 5 alternate judges; Council of the Judiciary (consists of 3 primary and 3 alternate judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court, Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal, National Agro-Environmental Court, and Council of the Judiciary candidates pre-selected by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and elected by direct popular vote; judges elected for 6-year terms; Plurinational Electoral Organ judges appointed - 6 by the Legislative Assembly and 1 by the president of the republic; members serve single 6-year terms subordinate courts: National Electoral Court; District Courts (in each of the 9 administrative departments); agro-environmental lower courts

history: many previous; latest drafted 6 August 2006 to 9 December 2008, approved by referendum 25 January 2009, effective 7 February 2009 amendment process: proposed through public petition by at least 20% of voters or by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership of the Assembly and approval in a referendum

CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

1.2% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Bolivian Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Bolivia or FAB): Bolivian Army (Ejercito de Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana) Ministry of Government: National Police (Polic a Nacional de Bolivia, PNB) (2025) note: the PNB is part of the reserves for the Armed Forces; the police and military share responsibility for border enforcement

voluntary service for men and women 18-22 years of age; selective 12-month compulsory service for men, 18-22 (24 months of search and rescue service can be substituted for military service) (2025) note: as of 2024, women comprised about 11% of the Bolivian military's personnel

the Bolivian Armed Forces (FAB) are responsible for territorial defense but also have some internal security duties, particularly counternarcotics and border security; the FAB shares responsibility for border enforcement with the National Police (PNB), and it may be called out to assist the PNB with maintaining public order in critical situations land-locked Bolivia has a naval force for patrolling some 5,000 miles of navigable rivers to combat narcotics trafficking and smuggling, provide disaster relief, and deliver supplies to remote rural areas, as well as for maintaining a presence on Lake Titicaca; the Navy also exists in part to cultivate a maritime tradition and as a reminder of Bolivia s defeat at the hands of Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), and its desire to regain access to the Pacific Ocean; every year on 23 March, the Navy participates in parades and government ceremonies commemorating the D a Del Mar (Day of the Sea) holiday that remembers the loss (2025)

$122.2 billion (2024 est.) $120.531 billion (2023 est.) $116.927 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$9,800 (2024 est.) $9,800 (2023 est.) $9,700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

1.4% (2024 est.) 3.1% (2023 est.) 3.6% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

5.1% (2024 est.) 2.6% (2023 est.) 1.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

49% of GDP (2017 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

$11.905 billion (2023 est.) $14.465 billion (2022 est.) $11.594 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$12.988 billion (2023 est.) $13.462 billion (2022 est.) $10.187 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

3.1% (2024 est.) 3.1% (2023 est.) 3.6% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $11.796 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $14.75 billion (2019 est.)

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

sugarcane, soybeans, maize, potatoes, sorghum, rice, milk, chicken, plantains, beef (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 12,436,103 (2025 est.) male: 6,257,914 female: 6,178,189

1.01% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 28.5% (male 1,792,803/female 1,718,081) 15-64 years: 64.5% (male 4,002,587/female 3,937,953) 65 years and over: 7% (2024 est.) (male 397,384/female 463,166)

17.02 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.99 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 72.5 years (2024 est.) male: 71 years female: 74 years

urban population: 71.2% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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.) 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

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.) major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de informaci n b sica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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.)

total population: 95.6% (2023 est.) male: 97.8% (2023 est.) female: 93.5% (2023 est.)

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

Tren de Aragua (TdA) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

USG identification: major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List Bolivia did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period and was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/bolivia/

refugees: 1,163 (2024 est.) IDPs: 12,070 (2024 est.)

201 (2025)

total: 3,960 km (2019) narrow gauge: 3,960 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

total: 50 (2023) by type: general cargo 30, oil tanker 2, other 18

total subscriptions: 12.2 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 98 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 70% (2023 est.)