Aaron O'Neill
Research expert covering historical data
Bolivia - Statistics & Facts
Located in Central South America, Bolivia is one of the largest countries in the world and in contrast to its area, it has a relatively small population of approximately 11.6 million inhabitants. A decline in population growth and a decreasing fertility rate over a ten-year span turned Bolivia into one of the least densely populated countries in all of Latin America and the Caribbean. Compared to other Latin American nations, Bolivia's inhabitants are rather young on average - the youth makes up for nearly one third of the overall population. More than two-thirds of Bolivians live in urban areas, with the capital, La Paz, being home to almost one million of them.
Bolivian history
Historically, the region of Bolivia was already populated several centuries before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Under the Spanish ruling, the indigenous population was forced to work in mines, while they were denied of economic and political opportunities. With the help of Simon Bolivar, a 19th century South-American independence fighter, the country gained its independence in 1825. In recognition of the leader’s support and in his honor, the new republic was named Bolivia. Today is a presidential republic, divided into nine administrative departments. Per the 2009 constitution, Spanish, along with 36 indigenous languages, hold the status of official languages in Bolivia. The country underwent an episode of great political and social unrest after the general elections of October 2019, when president Evo Morales resigned amidst accusations of electoral fraud. The international public opinion remains divided on whether what took place was a coup d'etat.An economy dependent on natural resources
Although it lacks in the services sector, particularly in healthcare and development, Bolivia's economic growth is foresee to remain close to the regional average, and it is actually outrunning its competitive neighbors like Brazil or Argentina . Bolivia’s inflation rate has been decreasing in recent years, slumping to below one percent in 2020, but it is expected to stabilize above the three-percent mark from 2023 onwards. Bolivia is rich in natural resources, being among top producers of silver, zinc and bismuth. Consequently, Bolivia exports mostly fuels and mining products, followed by agricultural products, such as soybeans or quinoa. The majority of the exported goods go to Argentina and Brazil, which takes a share of around 15 percent of Bolivia’s exports each.
