Bolivia

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Bolivia is known to have many highlands as well as a low-lying salty desert terrain to its southeast. One of the main geographical features of Bolivia is Lake Titicaca which is the highest navigable commercial Lake in the world with a height of more than 3800 meters or 12,500 feet. To its north and its east, it borders Brazil, to its south east it borders Paraguay, to its south it borders Argentina and to its east it borders Chile and Peru.

Bolivia, formerly known as the land of Bolivar or the Republic of Bolivar has been named after the general Simon Bolivar who led the Spanish American war of independence within the region. At present it is currently known as the plurinational state of Bolivia. Since ancient times, Bolivia has been a part of the Inca Empire which was defeated by the Spanish in the 16th century. After the defeat of the Inca Empire, the Inca population was reduced to slavery. During the 19th century, Bolivia became an independent state with the help of Simon Bolivar. After this, Bolivia has had several international wars which it lost and consequently receded territory to the state to which it lost. As a result of this, Bolivia had lost its territory that was connected to the sea, which turned it into a landlocked state.

It is the 27th largest state in the world with a surface area of 1.1 million square kilometers or 426,000 square miles. This makes Bolivia slightly larger than Mauritania and slightly smaller than Ethiopia.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Its total water surface is around 15,000 square kilometers or 5900 square miles. This makes Bolivia the 34th state with the largest bodies of water within its territory representing around 1.39 percent of its total surface.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

In recent decades, Bolivia has steadily improved the quality of its water reaching 100 percent potable water within urban areas and around 80 percent within rural areas. This has led in an increase of overall health due to the appliance of clean drinking water to food cleaning and drinking itself.

Bolivia experiences dry winters and cold summers. Due to its location on the southern hemisphere, its winters are from April to October and vary heavily due to the high elevation of Bolivia with high temperatures during the daytime and freezing cold’s during nighttime. Even though Bolivia is located close to the equator, high elevation plays a large part in its average temperature. It has an average temperature of 19.3 degrees Celsius or 66.8 degrees Fahrenheit This ranks Bolivia as the 112th warmest state in the world.

Temperature

Its average high temperature is around 24.3 degrees Celsius or 75.7 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is mostly present during its summer months from November until March.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

During its winter months, it has an average low temperature of 10.2 degrees Celsius or 50.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Most of the rainfall occurs from April to October. This rainfall is spread out quite evenly throughout Bolivia with the north receiving just under two times the amount of the south. On average, Bolivia experiences 85.3 centimeters of rainfall or 53.6 inches.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital of Bolivia, Sucre, is a home to around 800,000 people with around 1.6 million people living in its metropolitan area. The capital is remotely located to other capitals with the closest capital being Asuncion, Paraguay, with a distance of over 1000 kilometers, or 634 miles away. The capital that is furthest removed from Bolivia is Manila, the Philippines with a distance of 19,200 kilometers or just under 12,000 miles.

Even though Bolivia has one of the largest oil and gas reserves, it remains one of the poorest states within the region. This is mainly due to an anti-privatization mentality within Bolivia which has led to limited extraction of these resources which in turn influence the Bolivian economy. At present, the largest share of the Bolivian GDP is made in the mining industry. The main minerals that are extracted are gold and zinc. Other export commodities are soybeans and gas. The main trading partner of Bolivia is Argentina which represents around 30 percent of its total imports and exports. Other large partners are mainly regional with China being the exception which represents around 20 percent of total Bolivian imports.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

In total, Bolivia is a member of 10 international economic organizations which ranks it among the lowest economically interconnected state in the world with a rank of 148. It is a member of the following organizations:

Inter-American Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Andean Community
ALBA Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law

The GDP of Bolivia is around US$39.5 billion which ranks it as the 94th highest GDP in the world representing a share of 0.047 percent of total global GDP

The GDP per capita is around US$3440 which ranks it as the 122nd highest GDP per capita in the world.

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Bolivian citizen makes.

It has a GDP of $358 US per square kilometer or $928 per square mile which ranks it as the 176th highest in terms of surface GDP.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchasing power parity, however, is around US$8300 which ranks it as the 129th state with the highest purchasing power.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Bolivia.

Even though Bolivia has recognized many languages to be its official language, Spanish, with a share of more than 60 percent, is the most spoken language by the Bolivian people. Other languages that are relatively high are native languages such as Quechua, Aymara and Guarani. The fact that Spanish is the most spoken language is mainly due to the Spanish influence in Bolivia that has been around for centuries as well as intermixing between the Spanish European population with the native population. Bolivia has a population of over a 11.5 million people. It is expected that the number of Bolivians will steadily rise due to the fact that the Bolivian government has been investing in healthcare in order to prevent premature deaths. Due to this investment, Bolivia has one of the highest population growths in south America.

Population

Population density

Its population density ranks Bolivia as the 181st most densely populated state in the world with around 10 people per square kilometer or 27 people per square mile.

Emigration

Due to the fact that the Bolivian economy is struggling to further develop, many Bolivians have searched for better opportunities abroad. One of the largest emigration destinations is Argentina which hosts around half of the 820,000 people that have emigrated. Other large destinations for Bolivians are Spain, Brazil, Chile as well as the United States. In total, Bolivia is ranked as the 79th state with the largest number of emigrated people which represents around 0.3 percent of the total global emigration.

Immigration

Due to the fact that Bolivia is one of the poorest states in South America, it has experienced relatively low numbers of immigration. These are mainly immigrants from states that are directly connected to Bolivia and a smaller number of people coming from Spain, Mexico and the United States. Another contributor to the low immigration is that immigrants have to live in Bolivia for more than three years before they can apply for citizenship. In total, Bolivia is ranked as the 114th state with a total of 150,000 immigrants which represents around 1.3 percent of the total Bolivian population.

Literacy

With a literacy rate of just under 94 percent, Bolivia is ranked as the 107th most literate state in the world. This number has steadily risen from the 30 percent literacy rate 50 years ago, but due to the fact that a large share of the population lives in rural areas, education is not evenly provided throughout Bolivia.

Health

One of the problems that the Bolivian healthcare is facing are STDs as well as mosquito borne diseases such as malaria, Dengue as well as the Zika virus. Another problem that Bolivians are facing is the access to potable water. The majority of the Bolivian population only has acces to contaminated water which further spreads diseases. On average, the life expectancy of a Bolivian citizen is around 72.4 years with women averaging around 75.4 years and men averaging around 69.5 years. This ranks Bolivia as the 124th state with the highest life expectancy in the world.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

With the majority of the Bolivian population adhering to the Christian faith, Bolivia has seen a lot of discrimination towards minority religions. Even though state officials deny that there is a structural problem with the interaction between different religions, there have been some reports of violence towards minority religions which is fueled by an inefficient judicial system. With a rank of 140, Bolivia is among the least multi religious state in the world.

As mentioned earlier, Christianity is practiced by the vast majority of Bolivians. With the percentage of just over 93, it is ranked as the ninth most Christian state in the world. Due to its Spanish history, the Catholic denomination represents the largest share of Christians within Bolivia.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Around 0.03 percent of the Bolivian population adheres to the Islamic faith. This is represented by around 4000 people which are mainly centered within the major cities where several mosques are built in the recent decades. Because of this small share of Muslims, Bolivia is ranked as the 180th most Islamic state in the world.

There are small Buddhist communities living within Bolivia.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism is represented by around 0.5 percent of the population which mainly adhere to the Krishna denomination of Hinduism. Since the introduction of Hinduism to Bolivia in the 1970s, it has faced much resistance from Bolivians as well as the Bolivian government. Reports of desecration to Hindu temples have been common throughout the 80s and the Bolivian government has tried to ban the Krishna the movement legally. However, the Bolivian Supreme Court’s overruled these laws and in 1985 Hinduism was legalized in Bolivia.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Jews arrived in Bolivia in the 18th century as merchants. Many of these Jews have married local Bolivians and converted to Catholicism. Before the start of second world war the amount of Jewish people was virtually nonexistent. However, after the end of the second world war many Jewish families emigrated from Europe to South America. At present, around 0.03 percent of the population adheres to the Jewish faith and are mostly situated within the largest of cities where they have established several synagogues.

Other religions (share of the total population)

It is estimated that around 1.3 percent of the Bolivian population adheres to another religion. These are mainly native tribes that have their own tribal religion.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

The share of people that do not adhere to any religion is around 2.7 percent of the total Bolivian population. This number is relatively low because the religious population looks down upon nonreligious people. There have been some incidences where discrimination has occurred towards nonbelievers.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Bolivia spends around just under US$600 million on its military which represents around 1.5 percent of its total GDP. This ranks Bolivia as the 90th most funded military in the world.

The Bolivian military is officially called the Armed Forces of Bolivia with its main goal to the defend the territorial integrity from external aggression. Even though Bolivia is a landlocked state, it posesses a Navy as well as an air force and land forces. Other forces within the Bolivian military are mainly the national reserve as well as commando units.

Military membership

It is also a member of five international military organizations which ranks it as the 62nd most militarily interconnected state in the world. These international military organizations are:

System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

In total, Bolivia has partaken in seven international wars since its existence. These are:

Bolivian War of Independence 1809-1815
War of the Confederation 1836-1839
Chincha Islands War 1864-1865
War of the Pacific 1879-1883
Peruvian civil war 1884–1885
Acre War 1899-1903
Chaco War 1931-1935

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Bolivia is a member of 13 international political organizations which ranks it as the 61st most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following international political organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Organization of American States
Union of South American Nations
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Organization of Ibero-American States
UNIDROIT
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

At the end of the 1970s, Bolivia transitioned from a dictatorship towards a democratic system. Officially, Bolivia is represented by a presidential republic with the president as the head of state which is represented by multiple political parties. Some democratic challenges for Bolivia are the political unrest due to economic instability, the influence of narcotics producing organizations as well as the lack of foreign investments. This ranks Bolivia as the 94th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

National unrest, coups as well as border conflicts have characterized Bolivia over the last 200 years. This has left the Bolivian political climate relatively unstable even though it is still an independent state.