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Bolivia

Includes Bolivia real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Bolivia economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Bolivia best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential republic

Capital City: La Paz (administrative capital); Sucre (constitutional [legislative and judicial] capital)

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Central Bank of Bolivia
Currency Bolivianos (BOB)
International Reserves USD 8.9 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 41.4 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 84.1 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2007 4.6%
2008 6.1%
2009 3.4%
2010 4.1%
2011 5.2%
2012 5.1%
2013 6.8%
2014 5.5%
2015 4.9%
2016 4.3%
2017* 4.2%
2018* 4.3%

*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 3,681.6 (2018, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 7,476.9 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 0.06% (2019, estimate)
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 11.5%
industry: 26.2%
services: 49.1
(2018 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2015 4.1%
2016 3.6%
2017 2.8%
2018* 2.3%
2019* 1.7%

*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2015 4.1%
2016 3.6%
2017 2.8%
2018* 2.3%
2019* 1.7%

*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: BB-

Moody’s: Ba3

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s (Updated October 2019)
Unemployment rate 2015* 4%
2016* 3.5%
2017* 3.6%
2018* 3.5%
2019* 4%

*Estimate
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015 40.9%
2016 46.5%
2017* 51.3%
2018* 53.9%
2019* 57.7%

*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2015 -6.9%
2016 -7.2%
2017* -7.8%
2018*-8.1%
2019* -7.8%

*Estimate
Market value of publicly traded shares 2013 N/A
2014 N/A
2015 N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 5.9% (2017)

Shares in world total merchandising export 0.004% (2018)

Shares in world total commercial services export 0.008% (2018)

Total exports USD 1.6 billion (2018 estimate)

Export commodities Opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs

Total imports USD 8.3 billion (2018 estimate)

Import commodities Machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Exports – major partners India 56.5%, Pakistan 29.6% (2017)

Imports – major partners China 21%, Iran 20.5%, Pakistan 11.8%, Kazakhstan 11%, Uzbekistan 6.8%, Malaysia 5.3%(2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -2.0 billion (2018 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP -4.9 % (2018 estimate)
FDI inflows 2016 USD 335 million
2017 USD 712 million
2018 USD 255 million
FDI Outflows 2016 USD 89 million
2017 USD 80 million
2018 USD -89 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser 2015 N/A
2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018 USD 3.5 million
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

150 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 175 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 139 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 96 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 148 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 144 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 136 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 186 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 100 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 109 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 103 out of 190 countries
World Bank – Doing Business 2019
Global competitiveness ranking 107 out of 141 countries

(2019)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 173 / Score: 42.3 (Repressed)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Total Area 1,098,581 sq km
Total Population 1990 6.73 Million
2000 8.34 Million
2010 9.92 Million
2015* 10.9 Million
2020 11.72 Million
Urban population as % of total population 1960 36.8%
1980 45.5%
2000 61.8%
2018 69.4%
Population median age 24.6 years
Population growth rate 1.48% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 69.8 years (2018 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day 11.8% (last available estimate, 2017)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) 44 (last available estimate, 2017)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Freedom House rating Partly Free
Political Rights: 3
Civil Liberties: 3 (2019)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)”
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 6.3% Mobile: 100.8% (2018)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 43.83 % (2017)

Language & Religon

Languages Spanish (official) 60.7%, Quechua (official) 21.2%, Aymara (official) 14.6%, foreign languages 2.4%, Guarani (official) 0.6%, other native languages 0.4%, none 0.1% (2001 est.)
Literacy Total population: 92.5%
Male: 96.5%
Female: 88.6%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic 76.8%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 8.1%, Protestant 7.9%, other 1.7%, none 5.5% (2012 est.)

World Rankings

Population 11.72 million
Mercer Cost of living index N/A
C02 Emissions per capita 1.91 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Bolivia

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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