Local time--:--:--Sucre ·

South America · Card 002

Bolivia

Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America. Sucre is its constitutional capital; La Paz is the seat of government.

Find Bolivia

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers. Both Sucre and La Paz are labelled to distinguish the constitutional capital from the seat of government.

At a glance

Capital: SucreSucre is the constitutional capital. La Paz is the seat of the executive and legislature.
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: Bolivian boliviano (BOB)
Population: 12.6 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 1,098,581 km²424,164.32 square miles
Independence: 1825from Spain

Bolivia in context

South America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Sucre; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

Bolivia is landlocked and combines high Andes with extensive eastern lowlands. The Altiplano is a high plateau between mountain ranges, while valleys descend toward warmer forest and savanna country. Much of the country lies below the elevations associated with its best-known mountain scenery.

Salar de Uyuni is a vast salt-flat landscape on the high plateau. Lake Titicaca, shared with Peru, is another major highland feature. Both contrast with the tropical river basins of eastern and northern Bolivia.

Climate & seasons

Elevation is central to Bolivia’s climate. Amazonian lowlands are tropical and humid, while the Altiplano and high Andes are much colder and often drier.

Elevation & water

Temperature and vegetation change sharply with altitude. Snow-fed mountain systems, seasonal wetlands, forest and savanna support different habitats. Some highland basins have no outlet to the sea, allowing salts to accumulate as water evaporates.

Flag

Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green, with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

Spanish and the Indigenous languages named in the constitution have official status. Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní are among the most widely spoken Indigenous languages.

Community and regional languages

Other languages include Chiquitano or Bésiro, Mojeño varieties and many smaller languages. Legal recognition extends beyond the largest speech communities, and some recognized languages have very few remaining speakers.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & independence

Andean societies, including Tiwanaku and the Inca state, shaped the region before Spanish conquest. Upper Peru became independent as Bolivia in 1825 after prolonged wars against Spanish rule. Bolivia lost its Pacific coast during the War of the Pacific and remains landlocked. Civilian democracy returned in 1982, and the 2009 constitution established the Plurinational State, recognizing the country’s Indigenous peoples and languages.

1825
Bolivia becomes independent
1879
The War of the Pacific begins
1982
Civilian democratic government returns
2009
The constitution establishes the Plurinational State

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Mining, natural gas, agriculture and services are important economic activities. Zinc, silver, tin and gold contribute to mineral production, while soybeans and other crops support farming and exports. Bolivia has large lithium resources, but the existence of a resource does not mean it already generates large-scale production or export income. Commodity earnings, fuel imports and infrastructure constraints influence the economy.

Industry and production

Mineral extraction, natural gas, food processing, agriculture and manufacturing.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

12.62025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	4,590,010	4.590
1980	5,758,900	5.759
1990	7,130,142	7.130
2000	8,606,326	8.606
2010	10,182,345	10.182
2020	11,816,299	11.816
2025	12,581,843	12.582

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

37.22025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	11,974,420,934	11.974
1991	12,605,057,002	12.605
1992	12,812,599,041	12.813
1993	13,359,606,839	13.360
1994	13,983,135,103	13.983
1995	14,637,304,840	14.637
1996	15,275,687,760	15.276
1997	16,032,477,217	16.032
1998	16,838,807,372	16.839
1999	16,910,689,779	16.911
2000	17,334,777,886	17.335
2001	17,626,660,728	17.627
2002	18,064,782,973	18.065
2003	18,554,580,624	18.555
2004	19,328,918,119	19.329
2005	20,183,533,310	20.184
2006	21,151,739,181	21.152
2007	22,117,185,833	22.117
2008	23,477,060,535	23.477
2009	24,265,185,359	24.265
2010	25,266,542,245	25.267
2011	26,581,436,463	26.581
2012	27,943,010,897	27.943
2013	29,842,021,107	29.842
2014	31,471,565,407	31.472
2015	33,000,198,249	33.000
2016	34,407,300,589	34.407
2017	35,850,757,843	35.851
2018	36,878,987,710	36.879
2019	37,434,651,172	37.435
2020	32,673,162,317	32.673
2021	35,949,969,738	35.950
2022	37,297,165,307	37.297
2023	38,235,698,457	38.236
2024	37,806,175,462	37.806
2025	37,207,939,738	37.208

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.733High human developmentRank 108 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.552

20000.630

20100.677

20200.697

20230.733

68.6 yearsLife expectancy at birth

10.0 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A unitary presidential republic organized as a Plurinational State. An elected President leads the executive. The Plurinational Legislative Assembly has a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. The constitution recognizes Indigenous peoples and forms of territorial autonomy.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Bolivia.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

In which year did this event occur in Bolivia: The constitution establishes the Plurinational State?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.