Bolivia
Plurinational State of BoliviaEstado Plurinacional de Bolivia
republicIndependence 6 August 1825 (from Spain)
Bolivia as the 2013 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 168 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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, indigenous 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. In December 2009, President MORALES easily won reelection, and his party took control of the legislative branch of the government, which will allow him to continue his process of change. In October 2011, the country held its first judicial elections to appoint judges to the four highest courts.
Geography
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
20 fieldsLand useshare of 1,098,581 sq km
Terrain
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Natural resources
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 2.64 cu km/yr (25%/14%/61%)
- per capita:
- 305.8 cu m/yr (2005)
Natural hazards
flooding in the northeast (March to April)
- volcanism:
- volcanic activity in Andes Mountains on the border with Chile;
- historically active volcanoes in this region are Irruputuncu (elev. 5,163 m), which last erupted in 1995, and Olca-Paruma
Environment - current issues
- 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
Environment - international agreements
- 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
Geography - note
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
People and Society
38 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2013 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2013 est.)
Male · female
Languages
Spanish (official) 60.7%, Quechua (official) 21.2%, Aymara (official) 14.6%, foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
Demographic profile
Bolivia ranks at or near the bottom among Latin American countries in several areas of health and development, including poverty, education, fertility, malnutrition, mortality, and life expectancy. On the positive side, more children are being vaccinated and more pregnant women are getting prenatal care and having skilled health practitioners attend their births.
Bolivia's income inequality is the highest in Latin America and one of the highest in the world. Public education is of poor quality, and educational opportunities are among the most unevenly distributed in Latin America, with girls and indigenous and rural children less likely to be literate or to complete primary school.
The lack of access to education and family planning services helps to sustain Bolivia's high fertility rate - approximately three children per woman. Bolivia's lack of clean water and basic sanitation, especially in rural areas, contributes to health problems.
Almost 7% of Bolivia's population lives abroad, primarily to work in Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and the United States. In recent years, more restrictive immigration policies in Europe and the United States have increased the flow of Bolivian emigrants to neighboring Argentina and Brazil.
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 0.94 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.88 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.79 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- very high
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
- vectorborne diseases:
- dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever (2013)
Child labor - children ages 5-14
- total number:
- 553,323
- percentage:
- 26 %
note: data represents children ages 5-13 (2008 est.)
Government
Republic; President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Chamber of Senators, 130 seatsone dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Plurinational State of Bolivia
- conventional short form:
- Bolivia
- local long form:
- Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
- local short form:
- Bolivia
Capital
- 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)
Administrative divisions
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Constitution
- many previous;
- latest drafted 6 August 2006 - 9 December 2008, approved by referendum 25 January 2009, effective 7 February 2009;
- amended 2013 (2013)
Legal system
civil law system with influences from Roman, Spanish, canon (religious), French, and indigenous law
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Executive branch
- 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; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)
- elections:
- president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term and are eligible for re-election once;
- election last held on 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
- election results:
- Juan Evo MORALES Ayma reelected president;
- percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 64%;
- Manfred REYES VILLA 26%;
- Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 6%;
- Rene JOAQUINO 2%;
- other 2%
Legislative branch
bicameral Plurinational Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (36 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 total; 70 uninominal deputies directly elected from a single district, 7 "special" indigenous deputies directly elected from non-contiguous indigenous districts, and 53 plurinominal deputies elected by proportional representation from party lists; all deputies serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held on 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
- election results:
- Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - MAS 26, PPB-CN 10;
- Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - MAS 89, PPB-CN 36, UN 3, AS 2;
- note - as of 15 February 2013, the current composition of the Chamber of Deputies is:
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- ; note - the 2009 constitution reformed the procedure for selecting judicial officials for the Supreme Court, Constitutional Tribunal, and the Plurinational Electoral Organ by direct national vote, which occurred in October 2011
- Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (consists of 12 judges);
- Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (consists of 7 primary and 7 alternate magistrates);
- Plurinational Electoral Organ (consists of 7 members)
- judge selection and term of office:
- Supreme Court and Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Plurinational Legislative Assembly for 6-year terms);
- Plurinational Electoral Organ members - 6 judges elected by the Assembly and 1 appointed by the president;
- judges and members serve 6-year terms
- subordinate courts:
- Agro-Environmental Court;
- Council of the Judiciary;
- District Courts (in each of the 9 administrative departments)
Political parties and leaders
- Bacada Indigena or BI
- Bolivia-National Convergence or PPB-CN [Adrian OLIVA]
- Fearless Movement or MSM [Juan DE GRANADO Cosio]
- Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]
- National Unity or UN [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]
- People or Gente [Roman LOAYZA]
- Social Alliance or AS [Rene JOAQUINO]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Bolivian Workers Central or COB
Federation of Neighborhood Councils of El Alto or FEJUVE
Landless Movement or MST
National Coordinator for Change or CONALCAM
Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB
- other:
- Cocalero groups;
- indigenous organizations (including Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia or CIDOB and National Council of Ayullus and Markas of Quollasuyu or CONAMAQ);
- Interculturales union or CSCIB;
- labor unions (including the Central Bolivian Workers' Union or COB and Cooperative Miners Federation or FENCOMIN)
International organization participation
CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), 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, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Freddy BERSATTI Tudela
- chancery:
- 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 483-4410
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 328-3712
- consulate(s) general:
- Los Angeles, Miami, New York
note: as of September 2008, the US has expelled the Bolivian ambassador to the US
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Larry L. MEMMOTT (since 14 July 2012)
- embassy:
- Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
- telephone:
- [591] (2) 216-8000
- FAX:
- [591] (2) 216-8111
note: in September 2008, the Bolivian Government expelled the US Ambassador to Bolivia, and the countries have yet to reinstate ambassadors
Flag description
- three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band;
- red stands for bravery and the blood of national heroes, yellow for the nation's mineral resources, and green for the fertility of the land
note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; in 2009, a presidential decree made it mandatory for a so-called wiphala - a square,
multi-colored flag representing the country's indigenous peoples - to be used alongside the traditional flag
Economy
Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America.
41 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP
Economy - overview
Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large Northern Hemisphere markets.
In 2005, the government passed a controversial hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts to surrender all production to the state energy company in exchange for a predetermined service fee. The global recession slowed growth, but Bolivia recorded the highest growth rate in South America during 2009.
During 2010-12 high world commodity prices sustained rapid growth and large trade surpluses. However, a lack of foreign investment in the key sectors of mining and hydrocarbons, along with growing conflict among social groups pose challenges for the Bolivian economy.
Gross national saving
26.9% of GDP (2012 est.) · 31.9% of GDP (2011 est.) · 21.5% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Agriculture - products
- soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes;
- Brazil nuts;
- timber
Unemployment rate
7.5% (2012 est.) · 7.6% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment
Population below poverty line
49.6% note: based on percent of population living on less than the international standard of $2/day (2010 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
53 (2010) · 57.9 (1999) country comparison to the world: 14
Public debt
34% of GDP (2012 est.) · 36.5% of GDP (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 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
Central bank discount rate
4% (31 December 2011 est.) · 3% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 103
Commercial bank prime lending rate
11.14% (31 December 2012 est.) · 10.92% (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
Stock of narrow money
$7.32 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $6.13 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 88
Stock of broad money
$17.13 billion (31 December 2011 est.) · $14.25 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Stock of domestic credit
$9.044 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $7.633 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Current account balance
$2.127 billion (2012 est.) · $537.6 million (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Imports - commodities
petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$13.93 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $12.02 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Debt - external
$6.89 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $6.474 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 109
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$8.81 billion (31 December 2012) · $7.75 billion (31 December 2011) country comparison to the world: 84
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$8 million (31 December 2011) · $21 million (31 December 2010) country comparison to the world: 97
Exchange rates
bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar - 6.96 (2012 est.) · 6.99 (2011 est.) · 7.02 (2010 est.) · 7.07 (2009) · 7.25 (2008)
Energy
23 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 1.655 million kW(2010 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves
209.8 million bbl (1 January 2013 es) country comparison to the world: 58
Natural gas - proved reserves
281.5 billion cu m (1 January 2013 es) country comparison to the world: 42
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy
13.98 million Mt (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Communications
7 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- Bolivian National Telecommunications Company was privatized in 1995 but re-nationalized in 2007;
- the primary trunk system is being expanded and employs digital microwave radio relay;
- some areas are served by fiber-optic cable;
- system operations, reliability, and coverage have steadily improved.
- domestic:
- most telephones are concentrated in La Paz, Santa Cruz, and other capital cities;
- mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly and, in 2011, teledensity reached about 80 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)
Broadcast media
- large number of radio and TV stations broadcasting with private media outlets dominating;
- state-owned and private radio and TV stations generally operating freely, although both pro-government and anti-government groups have attacked media outlets in response to their reporting (2010)
Transportation
9 fieldsMerchant marine, 18 ships by typeone square, one ship
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Waterways
10,000 km (commercially navigable almost exclusively in the northern and eastern parts of the country) (2012) country comparison to the world: 13
Ports and terminals
river port(s): Puerto Aguirre (Paraguay/Parana) note: Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
Military
Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB; includes Marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2013)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB; includes Marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2013)
Military service age and obligation
- 18-49 years of age for 12-month compulsory male and female military service;
- Bolivian citizenship required;
- 17 years of age for voluntary service;
- when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14;
- 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides exemption from further military service (2013)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 2,472,490
- females age 16-49:
- 2,535,768 (2010 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas;
- contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of the border with Argentina
Illicit drugs
- world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 30,000 hectares under cultivation in 2011, a decrease of 13 percent over 2010;
- third largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 265 metric tons potential pure cocaine in 2011, a 29 percent increase over 2010;
- transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe;
- weak border controls;
- some money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade;
- major cocaine consumption (2013)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Bolivia.” The World Factbook 2013. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bolivia/2013.