Page last amended 19 August 2023
Bolivia
Community
Area 1,098,581 square kilometres (land area 1,083,301 square kilometres)
Population,
1,650,000 (1850)
1,766,451 (1900)
3,019,031 (1950)
3,693,000 (1960) +22.3%
4,506,000 (1970) +22.0%
5,590,000 (1980) +24.1%
6,856,000 (1990) +22.6%
8,340,000 (2000) +21.6%
9,918,000 (2010) +18.9%
11,673,000 (2020) +17.7%
Ethnicity, %
|
|
Amerindian |
Black |
Mixed� race |
White |
Not known |
|
1900 |
50.7 |
0.3 |
26.8 |
12.8 |
9.4 |
|
1950 |
52.0 |
0.2 |
28.0 |
13.0 |
6.8 |
|
2000 |
20.0 |
1.0 |
68.0 |
5.0 |
|
Religion, %
|
|
Animist |
Bahai |
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
No Religion |
|
1900 |
6.4 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
93.6 |
0.0 |
|
1970 |
1.5 |
0.2 |
2.1 |
93.2 |
0.8 |
|
1990 |
|
|
|
95.0 |
|
|
2010 |
3.0 |
2.0 |
17.0 |
76.0 |
2.0 |
|
2014 |
|
|
16.0 |
76.8 |
5.8 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1900 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
26.9 |
|
1952 |
|
47.0 (+23.0) |
176.0 |
24.0 |
42.0 |
3.1 |
33.5 |
|
1963 |
6.6 |
44.0 (+21.5) |
165.7 |
22.5 |
42.7 |
4.3 |
37.3 |
|
1970 |
6.6 |
42.2 (+22.4) |
143.1 |
19.8 |
42.5 |
3.8 |
39.8 |
|
1980 |
5.5 |
39.0 (+22.9) |
110.5 |
16.1 |
42.3 |
3.8 |
45.5 |
|
1990 |
4.9 |
36.0 (+23.2) |
83.7 |
12.8 |
41.3 |
4.4 |
55.6 |
|
2000 |
4.1 |
31.0 (+21.0) |
55.7 |
10.0 |
38.3 |
5.1 |
61.8 |
|
2010 |
3.3 |
25.2 (+17.3) |
32.6 |
7.9 |
34.6 |
6.1 |
66.4 |
|
2015 |
2.9 |
23.5 (+16.1) |
24.9 |
7.4 |
32.4 |
6.8 |
68.5 |
|
2017 |
2.8 |
22.1 (+14.8) |
22.8 |
7.3 |
31.5 |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
21.8 |
|
31.1 |
7.2 |
69.4 |
Life expectancy,
49.7 (1950); 49.7 (M), 49.7 (F)
42.1 (1960); 40.8 (M), 43.4 (F)
45.7 (1970); 44.4 (M), 47.0 (F)
50.0 (1980); 48.6 (M), 51.5 (F)
55.1 (1990); 53.5 (M), 56.8 (F)
60.7 (2000); 58.7 (M), 62.8 (F)
66.4 (2010); 64.1 (M), 68.8 (F)
71.6 (2020); 68.8 (M), 74.6 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s MA = Metropolitan Area
|
|
Cochabamba |
LA PAZ1 |
Oruro |
Potosi2 |
Santa Cruz |
Sucre3 |
|
1611 |
|
|
|
160 |
|
|
|
1900 |
35 |
50 |
14 |
21 |
16 |
12 |
|
1943 |
60 |
301 |
50 |
40 |
33 |
30 |
|
1950 |
81 |
321 |
63 |
|
|
40 |
|
1960 |
90 |
347 |
82 |
54 |
67 |
60 |
|
1968 |
137 |
490 |
87 |
61 |
99 |
46 |
|
1973 |
170 |
605 |
|
|
|
|
|
1982 |
282 |
881 |
132 |
103 |
377 |
80 |
|
1992 |
404 |
1,100 |
183 |
112 |
695 |
131 |
|
2001 |
517 |
|
201 |
133 |
1,114 |
194 |
|
2010 |
|
1,642 |
|
|
1,584 |
281 |
|
2012 |
1,938 MA |
2,364 MA |
265 |
241 |
|
310 |
|
2016 |
|
|
|
|
1,641 |
|
1La Paz was founded 1548, on the site on the American Indian village of Chuquiapu.� Its name means �The Peace�. La Paz replaced the old colonial city of Sucre as national capital in 1898.
2Potosi was a silver mining boom town in the 1600s.
3Sucre was founded in 1538 by the Spanish conquistador, Francis Pizarro.� It was known as Chuquisaca until 1839, when it was renamed after the then President of� Bolivia.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
221 |
0.10 |
55 |
3.61 |
|
1960 |
563 |
0.10 |
152 |
5.05 |
|
1965 |
908 |
0.12 |
223 |
5.83 |
|
1970 |
1,090 |
0.10 |
250 |
4.76 |
|
1975 |
2,404 |
0.15 |
500 |
6.39 |
|
1980 |
3,670 |
0.13 |
735 |
5.83 |
|
1985 |
4,060 |
0.10 |
865 |
4.73 |
|
1990 |
4,870 |
0.08 |
800 |
3.34 |
|
1995 |
4,867 |
0.07 |
710 |
2.36 |
|
2000 |
8,440 |
0.08 |
1,007 |
2.76 |
|
2005 |
9,300 |
0.07 |
1,046 |
2.36 |
|
2010 |
19,649 |
0.13 |
1,981 |
4.10 |
|
2015 |
33,000 |
0.18 |
3,077 |
5.47 |
|
2016 |
33,806 |
0.18 |
3,105 |
5.40 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
61.0 |
|
18.0 |
|
21.0 |
|
1970 |
|
52.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1982 |
23.0 |
50.0 |
26.0 |
24.0 |
51.0 |
26.0 |
|
1990 |
24.0 |
48.0 |
24.0 |
17.0 |
51.0 |
35.0 |
|
2010 |
11.0 |
40.0 |
38.0 |
17.0 |
51.0 |
43.0 |
|
2015 |
|
29.4 |
|
22.0 |
|
48.6 |
|
2016 |
13.4 |
|
38.5 |
|
53.8 |
|
Communications
Language, Official; Aymara,
Quecha and Spanish
|
Language % |
Aymara |
Quecha |
Spanish |
|
1980 |
25.2 |
34.4 |
|
|
1990 |
22.0 |
|
55.0 |
|
2010 |
14.6 |
21.2 |
60.7 |
Literacy
20.0% (1945)
32.0% (1950)
39.0% (1960)
63.0% (1980); 75.8% (M), 51.4% (F)
74.5% (1985); 84.0% (M), 65.0% (F)
83.0% (1995); 90.0% (M), 76.0% (F)
85.5% (2000); 92.0% (M), 79.3% (F)
86.9% (2005); 94.1% (M), 80.4% (F)
90.3% (2010); 95.3% (M), 85.4% (F)
92.5% (2015); 96.5% (M), 88.6% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1938 |
3,006 |
|
|
|
|
|
1947 |
10,111 |
|
|
|
|
|
1949 |
24,800 |
|
|
3,727 |
8.391 |
|
1958 |
|
|
32,413 |
12,660 |
18,666 |
|
1961 |
|
|
|
15,254 |
25,168 |
|
1976 |
38,085 |
|
|
31,000 |
41,000 |
|
1982 |
39,651 |
1,150 |
140,000 |
45,000 |
74,000 |
|
1988 |
49,987 |
|
|
|
|
|
1996 |
53,153 |
3,200 |
|
|
|
|
2000 |
53,790 |
|
437,200 |
181,000 |
234,000 |
|
2005 |
62,479 |
3,749 |
|
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
655,000 |
|
|
|
2015 |
90,568 |
9,792 |
|
|
|
Railways; First railway opened 1873, mineral line (British built) to the Bolivian Pacific port of Antofagasta; this city became Chilean territory in 1879. First railway in current (2017) Bolivian territory opened in 1889.
Length, kilometres
2,418 (1930)
2,589 (1940)
2,987 (1945)
3,580 (1960)
3,560 (1970)
3,538 (1980)
3,652 (1990)
3,697 (1990)
3,652 (2010)
3,504 (2014)
Electronic communications, �TV broadcasts began 1969
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
2,555 |
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
1948 |
8,300 |
|
40,000 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
34,000 |
|
250,000 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
|
|
255,000 |
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
430,000 |
|
|
|
|
1978 |
101.500 |
|
|
260,000 |
|
|
|
1982 |
145,000 |
|
3,380,000 |
350,000 |
|
|
|
1991 |
195,000 |
295 |
4,400,000 |
770,000 |
15,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
7,200 |
4,980,000 |
850,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
1997 |
|
|
|
|
|
6,000 |
|
2000 |
510,755 |
582,600 |
5,510,000 |
990,000 |
140,000 |
|
|
2005 |
|
2,421,400 |
|
1,350,000 |
250,000 |
480,000 |
|
2010 |
848,200 |
7,179,000 |
|
|
|
1,500,000 |
|
2012 |
880,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
867,302 |
10,165,300 |
|
|
|
4,355,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Bolivia,
150,000 (1982)
133,000 (1986)
254,000 (1990)
284,000 (1995)
319,000 (2000)
524,000 (2005)
679,000 (2010)
882,000 (2015)