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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.bo

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

24,363 (2007)

Internet users [time series]

580,000 (2006)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: privatization beginning in 1995; reliability has steadily improved; new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile- cellular telephone use expanding rapidly; fixed-line teledensity of 7 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 27 per 100 persons domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

646,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

2.421 million (2005)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

48 (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber

Budget [time series]

revenues: $4.48 billion expenditures: $3.95 billion (2006 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency (code)) [time series]

boliviano (BOB)

Current account balance [time series]

$1.32 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external [time series]

$4.455 billion (2006 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

60.1 (2002)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$582.9 million (2005 est.)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4% in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence. In 2003, violent protests against the pro-foreign investment economic policies of ex-President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial natural gas law that imposed significantly higher taxes on the oil and gas firms and required production firms to sign new operating contracts, which were completed in October 2006. Bolivian officials are in the process of revamping the defunct state-owned oil company and acquiring majority ownership of five gas production, transportation, refining, and storage companies. The MORALES administration plans to increase state control over other sectors as well, including mining, electricity, telecommunications, transportation, and forestry. Real GDP growth in 2003-06 - helped by increased demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia's fiscal position has improved in recent years, and the country had a record 6% fiscal surplus for 2006. In 2005, the G8 announced a $2 billion debt-forgiveness plan over the next few decades. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank forgave a total of approximately $1.8 billion of Bolivian debt in 2006 that has helped reduce fiscal pressures on the government.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

4.207 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - production [time series]

5.041 billion kWh (2005)

Exchange rates [time series]

bolivianos per US dollar - 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002)

Exports [time series]

$3.696 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin

Exports - partners [time series]

Brazil 45.6%, US 10.8%, Argentina 9.2%, Colombia 6.8%, Japan 5.5%, South Korea 4.3% (2006)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$10.33 billion (2006 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$27.87 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 12.6% industry: 35.6% services: 51.8% (2006 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$3,100 (2006 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

4.5% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 0.3% highest 10%: 47.2% (2002)

Imports [time series]

$2.636 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans

Imports - partners [time series]

Brazil 29.3%, Argentina 16%, Chile 12.1%, US 9.1%, Peru 8.1% (2006)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

5.7% (2004 est.)

Industries [time series]

mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

4.3% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

12.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Labor force [time series]

4.297 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$2.2 billion (2005)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

2.024 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

9.821 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - production [time series]

11.84 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

651.8 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption [time series]

47,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports [time series]

NA bbl/day

Oil - production [time series]

42,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

440.5 million bbl (1 January 2006)

Population below poverty line [time series]

64% (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$3.194 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad [time series]

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]

$NA

Unemployment rate [time series]

7.8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2006 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 1,098,580 sq km land: 1,084,390 sq km water: 14,190 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

Climate [time series]

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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 environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

Geographic coordinates [time series]

17 00 S, 65 00 W

Geography - note [time series]

landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

Irrigated land [time series]

1,320 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 6,940 km border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 2.78% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.03% (2005)

Location [time series]

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Map references [time series]

South America

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

flooding in the northeast (March-April)

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija

Capital [time series]

name: La Paz (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Sucre (constitutional capital)

Constitution [time series]

2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; referendum on new constitution to be held 6 August 2007

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Philip S. GOLDBERG embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032 telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000 FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Gustavo GUZMAN Saldana chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410 FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712 consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band

Government type [time series]

republic

Independence [time series]

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

International organization participation [time series]

CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)

Legal system [time series]

based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70 members are directly elected from their districts and 60 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 73, PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Mirta QUEVEDO]; National Unity [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]; Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Social Alliance [Rene JOAQUINO]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)

Introduction

Background [time series]

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 nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult 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 majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 18-49: 1,923,234 females age 18-49: 2,007,315 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 18-49: 1,311,414 females age 18-49: 1,502,177 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually [time series]

males age 18-49: 101,101 females age 18-49: 98,671 (2005 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2007)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

1.9% (2006)

Military service age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age for voluntary military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; one estimate holds that 40% of the armed forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under the age of 16; conscript tour of duty - 12 months (2004)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 34.3% (male 1,593,509/female 1,532,155) 15-64 years: 61.1% (male 2,730,359/female 2,841,872) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 187,123/female 234,134) (2007 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

22.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate [time series]

7.44 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

less than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

4,900 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 50.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 53.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 46.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Languages [time series]

Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 66.19 years male: 63.53 years female: 68.97 years (2007 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.7% male: 93.1% female: 80.7% (2001 census)

Median age [time series]

total: 22.2 years male: 21.5 years female: 22.9 years (2007 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian

Net migration rate [time series]

-1.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Population [time series]

9,119,152 (July 2007 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.42% (2007 est.)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.961 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.799 male(s)/female total population: 0.979 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.76 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities

Illicit drugs [time series]

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 26,500 hectares under cultivation in August 2005, an 8% increase from 2004; transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe; cultivation steadily increasing despite eradication and alternative crop programs; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay; major cocaine consumption

Transportation

Airports [time series]

1,061 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 1,045 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 57 914 to 1,523 m: 183 under 914 m: 800 (2007)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 25 ships (1000 GRT or over) 73,877 GRT/110,148 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 12, carrier 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 9 foreign-owned: 9 (Argentina 1, China 1, Egypt 1, Iran 1, Italy 1, Singapore 1, Syria 1, Taiwan 1, Yemen 1) (2007)

Pipelines [time series]

gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2006)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

Puerto Aguirre (inland port on the Paraguay/Parana waterway at the Bolivia/Brazil border); Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay

Railways [time series]

total: 3,504 km narrow gauge: 3,504 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways [time series]

total: 62,479 km paved: 3,749 km unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)

Waterways [time series]

10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2007)