Bolivia
Name
| Official name | Plurinational State of Bolivia — Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia |
|---|---|
| Former name | Republic of Bolivia, 1825–2009 |
| Demonym | Bolivian |
| Meaning of the name | For Simón Bolívar, the Liberator — the Republic of Bolívar at its founding in 1825, Bolivia within months |
| In the native languages | Wuliwya (Aymara), Buliwya (Quechua), Volívia (Guaraní) |
Quick facts
| Capital | Two — Sucre, the constitutional capital and seat of the judiciary; La Paz, the seat of government, at about 3,640 m the highest in the world |
|---|---|
| Largest city | Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in the eastern lowlands — about 2 million in its metropolitan area; El Alto, above La Paz at 4,150 m, the second |
| Official languages | Spanish and 36 indigenous languages under the Constitution — Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní the largest |
| Currency | Boliviano — ISO code BOB, Bs; 1 boliviano = 100 centavos; fixed at 6.96 to the U.S. dollar 2011–2025; issued by the Central Bank of Bolivia |
| Time zone | Bolivia Time, UTC−4, all year |
| Calling code | +591 |
| Internet domain | .bo |
| ISO 3166 codes | BO · BOL · 068 |
| Vehicle registration code | BOL |
| Driving side | Right |
| Electricity | 230 V, 50 Hz; plug types A and C |
| Independence | 6 August 1825, from Spain — declared at Sucre |
| National days | 6 August, Independence Day; 17 August, Flag Day; 22 January, the Day of the Plurinational State |
| Constitution | 7 February 2009 — the Plurinational State, approved by referendum |
| Population | 11,312,620 at the census of 23 March 2024; about 12.3–12.6 million by the UN and the CIA World Factbook — a gap not yet reconciled |
| Area | 1,098,581 km² (424,164 sq mi) — land 1,083,301 km², water 15,280 km²; the largest landlocked country in the Americas; about three times the size of Montana |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | La Tricolor — red, yellow and green in horizontal bands: the blood of the heroes, the wealth of the mines, the land and its hope; ordered by Belzu in 1851, fixed at 15:22 with Pantone shades in 2004; the state flag carries the arms, and since 2009 the Wiphala flies at its side.Flag of Bolivia |
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| The Wiphala | The square rainbow chequer of 49 squares in seven colors — the emblem of the Qullasuyu and the Aymara; a symbol of the state under Article 6 of the Constitution of 2009 |
| Coat of arms | Cerro Rico under the sun, with an alpaca, wheat and a breadfruit tree, in an oval of ten stars; six flags, cannons, rifles, an axe and the Phrygian cap around it; the condor above — drawn in detail by the decree of 2004 |
| National anthem | "Himno Nacional de Bolivia" — words by José Ignacio de Sanjinés, music by Leopoldo Benedetto Vincenti; first sung 18 November 1845 |
| National flowers | The kantuta (Cantua buxifolia), red, yellow and green like the flag, and the patujú (Heliconia rostrata) of the lowlands — both in Article 6 of the Constitution |
| National bird | The Andean condor — on the arms; widely cited |
| National animal | The llama — widely cited |
| National dish | Salteñas, pique macho, silpancho, sopa de maní — widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, anthem, arms, Wiphala, cockade and the two flowers are the symbols of the state under Article 6; the bird, animal and dishes are widely cited |
Geography
| Location | Central South America — landlocked since 1884, between Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru |
|---|---|
| Land borders | 7,252 km (4,506 mi) with five countries |
| Border with Brazil | 3,403 km (2,115 mi) |
| Border with Peru | 1,212 km (753 mi) — across Lake Titicaca |
| Border with Chile | 942 km (585 mi) |
| Border with Argentina | 942 km (585 mi) |
| Border with Paraguay | 753 km (468 mi) — across the Chaco |
| Coastline | None — the Litoral department was lost to Chile in the War of the Pacific, 1879–84; Bolivia keeps a navy on its lakes and rivers |
| Highest point | Nevado Sajama, 6,542 m (21,463 ft), an extinct volcano in the Cordillera Occidental |
| Lowest point | The Paraguay River at the border, 90 m (295 ft) |
| Mean elevation | 1,192 m (3,911 ft) |
| Lake Titicaca | Shared with Peru at 3,812 m (12,507 ft) — the largest lake in South America by volume and the highest navigable lake in the world; about 8,370 km² (3,230 sq mi) |
| The Salar de Uyuni | About 10,582 km² (4,086 sq mi) at 3,656 m — the largest salt flat on Earth, and the world's largest lithium resource beneath it |
| Major rivers | The Mamoré, the Beni and the Madre de Dios to the Amazon; the Pilcomayo and the Paraguay to the south; the Desaguadero from Titicaca to Lake Poopó, which dried in 2015 |
| Terrain | The Altiplano between two cordilleras of the Andes; the Yungas valleys on the eastern slopes; the Amazon lowlands of the north and east; the Chaco of the southeast |
| Climate | From the arid cold of the Altiplano to tropical humidity in the Amazon and the dry heat of the Chaco — altitude, not latitude, decides it |
| Natural hazards | Floods in the lowlands; drought and the El Niño cycle; landslides in La Paz |
| Natural resources | Natural gas, tin, zinc, silver, gold, lead, tungsten, antimony, lithium, iron ore (El Mutún), timber, hydropower |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 35%; forest about 50% |
| National parks | Madidi, among the most biodiverse places on Earth; Noel Kempff Mercado; Sajama, the first (1939); Amboró; the Eduardo Avaroa reserve with its colored lakes |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 7 — the City of Potosí (1987); the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos (1990); the Historic City of Sucre (1991); the Fuerte de Samaipata (1998); Tiwanaku (2000); Noel Kempff Mercado National Park (2000); the Qhapaq Ñan, the Andean road system (2014, shared) |
| Administrative divisions | 9 departments — Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosí, Santa Cruz and Tarija; 112 provinces and 339 municipalities |
People
| Population | 11,312,620 (census of 2024); about 12.3–12.6 million (UN and Factbook estimates) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 11 per km² (28 per sq mi) — among the lowest in the Americas |
| Population growth | About 1.2% a year |
| Median age | About 27 years |
| Life expectancy | About 68–72 years |
| Fertility rate | About 2.1 births per woman (census of 2024) |
| Urban population | About 71% |
| Adult literacy | About 94% |
| Ethnic groups | Mestizo about 68%, indigenous about 20% (self-identified 41% in 2012 — Quechua and Aymara the largest), white about 5%, Afro-Bolivian and others |
| Languages | Spanish the common tongue; Quechua about a quarter, Aymara about a sixth; Guaraní and 33 other native languages official |
| Religion | Roman Catholic about 65%, Protestant about 20% (2023 est.); Andean traditions alongside |
| Largest cities | Santa Cruz de la Sierra, El Alto, La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro, Sucre, Tarija, Potosí |
| Human Development Index | 0.733 (2023 data, 2025 report) — high; about 120th of 193 |
| Diaspora | Large communities in Argentina, Spain, Brazil, Chile and the United States |
Government
| Form of government | Unitary presidential republic under the Constitution of 2009 — the Plurinational State |
|---|---|
| President | Rodrigo Paz Pereira (PDC), since 8 November 2025 — elected in the runoff of 19 October 2025 with 54.5% against Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga; son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora, born in exile in Spain |
| The 2025 election | The first round of 17 August 2025 (Paz 32%, Quiroga 27%) forced the first runoff since the return to democracy in 1982; the vote ended nearly twenty years of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) |
| Vice President | Edmand Lara, a former police captain |
| The cabinet | Cut from 17 ministries to 12 on taking office |
| Parliament | The Plurinational Legislative Assembly — the Chamber of Deputies (130) and the Senate (36) |
| Legal system | Civil law with indigenous jurisdiction recognized; the Supreme Court and Constitutional Tribunal at Sucre |
| Predecessors | Luis Arce (2020–2025); Evo Morales (2006–2019), the first indigenous president |
| Departments | 9 — each with an elected governor and assembly since 2010 |
| United Nations | A founding member, 1945 |
| Regional memberships | The Andean Community (a founder, 1969); an associate of Mercosur, with full membership ratified in 2024; the OAS; CELAC; the Amazon Cooperation Treaty |
| The sea | Bolivia's claim to a negotiated Pacific outlet was rejected by the International Court of Justice on 1 October 2018; the day of the sea, 23 March, is still kept |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$50 billion (2025, IMF, at the old fixed rate) — the dollar figure moving with the exchange-rate reform of 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$4,000 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$12,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | Slowed to about 1% in 2025; a contraction and inflation above 20% forecast for 2026 as subsidies and the fixed rate are unwound |
| Economy by sector | Services about 48%, industry about 38%, agriculture about 14% |
| Currency | Boliviano (BOB) |
| The crisis | Dollar and fuel shortages since 2023 as gas exports fell and reserves ran down — the background of the 2025 election |
| Natural gas | The great export of the 2000s, to Brazil and Argentina — declining since 2014 as the fields matured |
| Mining | Gold, zinc, silver, tin and lead — San Cristóbal among the world's largest silver-zinc mines; Cerro Rico still worked |
| Lithium | The largest resources in the world, in the brines of Uyuni — about 23 million metric tons by the USGS; production still small |
| Agriculture | Soybeans of Santa Cruz the leading farm export; quinoa, Brazil nuts, coca |
| Public debt | About 83% of GDP (2024) |
| Income classification | Lower-middle income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airports | Viru Viru at Santa Cruz — the busiest; El Alto at La Paz, 4,061 m — among the highest international airports in the world |
|---|---|
| Airline | Boliviana de Aviación (BoA), the state carrier, since 2009 |
| Mi Teleférico | The cable-car network of La Paz and El Alto — about 33 km in ten lines since 2014, the longest urban cable-car system in the world |
| Railways | About 3,500 km (2,200 mi) of meter gauge in two unconnected networks, eastern and western |
| Roads | About 90,000 km (56,000 mi); the North Yungas Road — the "Death Road" — from La Paz to Coroico |
| Waterways | About 10,000 km (6,200 mi) navigable in the Amazon basin; Puerto Busch and Puerto Aguirre on the Paraguay–Paraná waterway to the Atlantic |
History in dates
| c. 500–1000 | Tiwanaku, the empire of the Altiplano |
|---|---|
| 15th century | The Inca conquer the Qullasuyu |
| 1545 | Silver found at Cerro Rico; Potosí founded — for a century the richest city in the Americas |
| 1809 | The revolts of Chuquisaca and La Paz, 25 May and 16 July — among the first of Spanish America |
| 1825 | Independence declared at Sucre, 6 August; the Republic of Bolívar |
| 1836–1839 | The Peru-Bolivian Confederation |
| 1879–1884 | The War of the Pacific — the coast lost to Chile |
| 1932–1935 | The Chaco War with Paraguay |
| 1952 | The National Revolution — universal suffrage, land reform, the mines nationalized |
| 1967 | Che Guevara killed at La Higuera, 9 October |
| 1982 | The return to democracy, 10 October |
| 2006 | Evo Morales inaugurated, 22 January — the first indigenous president |
| 2009 | The Constitution of the Plurinational State, 7 February |
| 2019 | Morales resigns amid protests, 10 November; the interim government |
| 2020 | Luis Arce elected, 18 October |
| 2024 | The twelfth census, 23 March; a failed coup attempt, 26 June |
| 2025 | Rodrigo Paz elected in the first-ever runoff, 19 October; inaugurated 8 November |
Records & firsts
| The highest seat of government | La Paz, about 3,640 m |
|---|---|
| The highest navigable lake | Titicaca, 3,812 m |
| The largest salt flat | The Salar de Uyuni, about 10,582 km² |
| The largest lithium resource | Uyuni's brines |
| The longest urban cable car | Mi Teleférico, about 33 km |
| The most official languages | 37 — Spanish and 36 indigenous languages in the Constitution |
| Two flags of state | The tricolor and the Wiphala, both in Article 6 |
| Two capitals | Sucre and La Paz |
| Named for a living man | Simón Bolívar, in 1825 |
| The first runoff | The presidential second round of 19 October 2025 |
| Potosí | Once the largest city in the Americas, at 4,090 m |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Bolivia?
The Plurinational State of Bolivia — Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia — since the Constitution of 7 February 2009; the Republic of Bolivia before that. The country was named at its founding in 1825 for Simón Bolívar, the Liberator, and is the only country named for a person still living at the time.
What is the capital of Bolivia?
Bolivia has two. Sucre is the constitutional capital and the seat of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Tribunal; La Paz, at about 3,640 m, is the seat of the presidency and the Legislative Assembly — the highest seat of government in the world. Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in the eastern lowlands, is the largest city.
How big is Bolivia, and how many people live there?
About 1,098,581 km² (424,164 sq mi) — three times the size of Montana, the largest landlocked country in the Americas. The census of 23 March 2024 counted 11.3 million people; the UN and the CIA World Factbook estimate 12.3 to 12.6 million, a gap the census itself has yet to explain. At about 11 people per km² it is among the emptiest countries in the Americas.
What are the highest and lowest points of Bolivia?
Nevado Sajama, 6,542 m (21,463 ft), an extinct volcano in the Cordillera Occidental, is the highest point; the Paraguay River where it leaves for Brazil and Paraguay, at 90 m (295 ft), is the lowest. Between them lie the Altiplano at about 3,800 m, Lake Titicaca, and the Salar de Uyuni.
What currency does Bolivia use?
The boliviano (ISO code BOB, Bs), divided into 100 centavos — held at a fixed 6.96 to the U.S. dollar from 2011 until the reform begun under the Paz government, when the rate was allowed to move. Clocks keep Bolivia Time, UTC−4, all year.
Who governs Bolivia?
President Rodrigo Paz Pereira of the Christian Democratic Party, in office since 8 November 2025 after winning the runoff of 19 October 2025 — the first in Bolivia's history — with 54.5 percent against Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga; Edmand Lara is vice president. His election ended almost twenty years of government by the Movement Toward Socialism, and his cabinet was cut from 17 ministries to 12. The Legislative Assembly has a Chamber of Deputies of 130 and a Senate of 36.
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