2015 Edition

Background

Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production.

In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor, indigenous majority. In December 2009 and October 2014, President MORALES easily won reelection. His party maintained control of the legislative branch of the government, which has allowed him to continue his process of change. In October 2011, the country held its first judicial elections to select judges for the four highest courts. MORALES has publicly described the elected judiciary as a failed experiment that has not resolved judicial backlogs or extended pre-trial detention. He has called for a public referendum on the judicial system.

Area

land

1,083,301 sq km

total

1,098,581 sq km

water

15,280 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

Climate

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

lowest point

Rio Paraguay 90 m

Environment - current issues

the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

305.8 cu m/yr (2005)

total

2.64 cu km/yr (25%/14%/61%)

Geographic coordinates

17 00 S, 65 00 W

Geography - note

landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

Irrigated land

1,282 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries (5)

Argentina 942 km, Brazil 3,403 km, Chile 942 km, Paraguay 753 km, Peru 1,212 km

total

7,252 km

Land use

arable land 3.6%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 30.5%

agricultural land

34.3%

forest

52.5%

other

13.2% (2011 est.)

Location

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

flooding in the northeast (March to April)

volcanism

volcanic activity in Andes Mountains on the border with Chile; historically active volcanoes in this region are Irruputuncu (elev. 5,163 m), which last erupted in 1995, and Olca-Paruma

Natural resources

tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower

Terrain

rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

Total renewable water resources

622.5 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

32.85% (male 1,807,779/female 1,740,188)

15-24 years

19.65% (male 1,074,697/female 1,047,575)

25-54 years

36.69% (male 1,932,183/female 2,030,485)

55-64 years

5.75% (male 288,621/female 332,824)

65 years and over

5.06% (male 241,447/female 305,083) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

22.76 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Child labor - children ages 5-14

note

data represents children ages 5-17 (2008 est.)

percentage

26.4%

total number

757,352

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

4.5% (2008)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

60.5% (2008)

Death rate

6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Demographic profile

Almost 7% of Bolivia's population lives abroad, primarily to work in Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and the United States. In recent years, more restrictive immigration policies in Europe and the United States have increased the flow of Bolivian emigrants to neighboring Argentina and Brazil.

Bolivia ranks at or near the bottom among Latin American countries in several areas of health and development, including poverty, education, fertility, malnutrition, mortality, and life expectancy. On the positive side, more children are being vaccinated and more pregnant women are getting prenatal care and having skilled health practitioners attend their births. Bolivia's income inequality is the highest in Latin America and one of the highest in the world. Public education is of poor quality, and educational opportunities are among the most unevenly distributed in Latin America, with girls and indigenous and rural children less likely to be literate or to complete primary school. The lack of access to education and family planning services helps to sustain Bolivia's high fertility rate - approximately three children per woman. Bolivia's lack of clean water and basic sanitation, especially in rural areas, contributes to health problems.

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

10.6%

potential support ratio

9.4% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

63.7%

youth dependency ratio

53.1%

Drinking water source

urban: 96.7% of population

rural: 75.6% of population

total: 90% of population

urban: 3.3% of population

rural: 24.4% of population

total: 10% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

6.4% of GDP (2012)

Ethnic groups

mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 68%, indigenous 20%, white 5%, cholo/chola 2%, black 1%, other 1%, unspecified 3% ; 44% of respondents indicated feeling part of some indigenous group, predominantly Quechua or Aymara

note

results among surveys vary based on the wording of the ethnicity question and the available response choices; the 2001 national census did not provide "mestizo" as a response choice, resulting in a much higher proportion of respondents identifying themselves as belonging to one of the available indigenous ethnicity choices; the use of "mestizo" and "cholo" varies among response choices in surveys, with surveys using the terms interchanageably, providing one or the other as a response choice, or providing the two as separate response choices (2009 est.)

Health expenditures

6.1% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.25% (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,200 (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

15,500 (2013 est.)

Hospital bed density

1.1 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

female

33.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

41.06 deaths/1,000 live births

total

37.49 deaths/1,000 live births

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%

note

Bolivia's 2009 constitution designates Spanish and all indigenous languages as official; 36 indigenous languages are specified, including some that are extinct (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

female

71.78 years (2015 est.)

male

66.08 years

total population

68.86 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

93.6% (2015 est.)

male

97.8%

total population

95.7%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

very high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever (2013)

Major urban areas - population

Santa Cruz 2.107 million; LA PAZ (capital) 1.816 million; Cochabamba 1.24 million; Sucre (constitutional capital) 372,000 (2015)

Median age

female

24.1 years (2014 est.)

male

22.6 years

total

23.4 years

Nationality

adjective

Bolivian

noun

Bolivian(s)

Net migration rate

-0.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

15.8% (2014)

Physicians density

0.47 physicians/1,000 population (2011)

Population

10,800,882 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

1.56% (2015 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 76.8%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 8.1%, Protestant 7.9%, other 1.7%, none 5.5% (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 60.8% of population

rural: 27.5% of population

total: 50.3% of population

urban: 39.2% of population

rural: 72.5% of population

total: 49.7% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

13 years (2007)

male

13 years

total

13 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.95 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.87 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.79 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.73 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

7.8% (2009 est.)

male

4.8%

total

6.2%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.26% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

68.5% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija

Capital

geographic coordinates

16 30 S, 68 09 W

name

La Paz (administrative capital); Sucre (constitutional capital)

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Constitution

many previous; latest drafted 6 August 2006 - 9 December 2008, approved by referendum 25 January 2009, effective 7 February 2009; amended 2013 (2013)

Country name

conventional long form

Plurinational State of Bolivia

conventional short form

Bolivia

local long form

Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia

local short form

Bolivia

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Peter Brennan (since June 2014

embassy

Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz

FAX

[591] (2) 216-8111

mailing address

P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032

note

in September 2008, the Bolivian Government expelled the US Ambassador to Bolivia, and the countries have yet to reinstate ambassadors

telephone

[591] (2) 216-8000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Freddy BERSATTI Tudela

consulate(s) general

Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington,DC

FAX

[1] (202) 328-3712

note

as of September 2008, the US expelled the Bolivian ambassador to the US

telephone

[1] (202) 328-4155

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

election results

Juan Evo MORALES Ayma reelected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 61%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 24.5%; Jorge QUIROGA 9.1%; other 5.4%

elections/appointments

president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 12 October 2014 (next to be held in 2019); note - a presidential candidate wins an election one of 3 ways

head of government

President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006)

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; red stands for bravery and the blood of national heroes, yellow for the nation's mineral resources, and green for the fertility of the land

note

similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; in 2009, a presidential decree made it mandatory for a so-called wiphala - a square, multi-colored flag representing the country's indigenous peoples - to be used alongside the traditional flag

Government type

republic; note - the new constitution defines Bolivia as a "Social Unitarian State"

Independence

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (consists of 12 judges); Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (consists of 7 primary and 7 alternate magistrates); Plurinational Electoral Organ (consists of 7 members)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court and Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Plurinational Legislative Assembly for 6-year terms); Plurinational Electoral Organ members - 6 judges elected by the Assembly and 1 appointed by the president; judges and members serve 6-year terms; note - the 2009 constitution reformed the procedure for selecting judicial officials for the Supreme Court, Constitutional Tribunal, and the Plurinational Electoral Organ by direct national vote, which occurred in October 2011

subordinate courts

Agro-Environmental Court; Council of the Judiciary; District Courts (in each of the 9 administrative departments)

Legal system

civil law system with influences from Roman, Spanish, canon (religious), French, and indigenous law

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Plurinational Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (36 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 53 indirectly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote, and 7 - apportioned to non-contiguous, rural areas in 7 of the 9 states - directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 25, UD 9, PDC 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 88, UD 32, PDC 10

elections

Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held on 12 October 2014 (next to be held in 2019)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Jose Ignacio de SANJINES/Leopoldo Benedetto VINCENTI

name

"Cancion Patriotica" (Patriotic Song)

note

adopted 1852

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

National symbol(s)

llama, Andean condor; national colors: red, yellow, green

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]

Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]

United Democrats or UD [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Bolivian Workers Central or COB

Federation of Neighborhood Councils of El Alto or FEJUVE

Landless Movement or MST

National Coordinator for Change or CONALCAM

Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB

other

Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations (including Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia or CIDOB and National Council of Ayullus and Markas of Quollasuyu or CONAMAQ); Interculturales union or CSCIB; labor unions (including the Central Bolivian Workers' Union or COB and Cooperative Miners Federation or FENCOMIN)

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal and compulsory

Agriculture - products

soybeans, quinoa, Brazil nuts, sugarcane, coffee, corn, rice, potatoes, chia, coca

Budget

expenditures

$16.76 billion (2014 est.)

revenues

$16.59 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

4.5% (31 December 2013)

4% (31 december 2012)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9.7% (31 December 2014 est.)

11.05% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

$252 million (2014 est.)

$1.173 billion (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$8.073 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$7.734 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

46.6 (2012)

57.9 (1999)

Economy - overview

Bolivia is a resource rich country with strong growth attributed to captive markets for natural gas exports – to Brazil and Argentina. Gas accounts for roughly 50% of Bolivia’s total exports and will fund more than half of its 2015 budget. However, the country remains one of the least developed countries in Latin America because of state-oriented policies that deter investment and growth. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large Northern Hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts to surrender all production to the state energy company in exchange for a predetermined service fee. The global recession slowed growth, but Bolivia recorded the highest growth rate in South America during 2009 and has averaged 5.3% growth each year since 2009. High commodity prices since 2010 sustained rapid growth and large trade surpluses. However, a lack of foreign investment in the key sectors of mining and hydrocarbons, along with conflict among social groups pose challenges for the Bolivian economy. President Evo MORALES passed an investment law and promised not to nationalize additional industries in an effort to improve Bolivia’s investment climate. The global decline in oil prices in late 2014 exerted downward pressure on the price Bolivia receives for exported gas and may result in lower GDP growth rates and losses in government revenue in 2015.

Exchange rates

bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar -

6.958 (2014 est.)

6.96 (2013 est.)

6.94 (2012 est.)

6.9875 (2011 est.)

7.0167 (2010 est.)

Exports

$12.34 billion (2014 est.)

$11.51 billion (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

natural gas, mineral ores, gold, soybeans and soy products, tin

Exports - partners

Brazil 33.5%, Argentina 20.3%, US 10.1%, Colombia 5.4%, Peru 5.1% (2013)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

46%

government consumption

13.9%

household consumption

58.8%

imports of goods and services

-39.7%

investment in fixed capital

20.3%

investment in inventories

0.7%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

13.1%

industry

38.9%

services

48% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$6,200 (2014 est.)

$5,900 (2013 est.)

$5,500 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

5.4% (2014 est.)

6.8% (2013 est.)

5.2% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$34.43 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$69.96 billion (2014 est.)

$66.38 billion (2013 est.)

$62.17 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

22.7% of GDP (2014 est.)

23.9% of GDP (2013 est.)

25.7% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

33.6% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%

0.8%

Imports

$9.513 billion (2014 est.)

$9.347 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, petroleum products, vehicles, iron and steel, plastics

Imports - partners

Brazil 17.1%, China 13.5%, US 12.6%, Argentina 10.8%, Peru 6.5%, Chile 6.2%, Japan 5% (2013)

Industrial production growth rate

6% (2014 est.)

Industries

mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing, jewelry

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.8% (2014 est.)

5.7% (2013 est.)

Labor force

4.881 million (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

32%

industry

20%

services

47.9% (2009 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$9.684 billion (31 December 2013)

$7.689 billion (31 December 2012)

$6.089 billion (31 December 2011)

Population below poverty line

45%

note

based on percent of population living on less than the international standard of $2/day (2011 est.)

Public debt

35.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

35.6% of GDP (2013 est.)

note

data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$15.38 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$14.43 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$20.19 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$17.4 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$0 (31 December 2013 est.)

$0 (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$10.56 billion (31 December 2013)

$8.809 billion (31 December 2012)

Stock of domestic credit

$15.51 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$11.82 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$8.362 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$7.26 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

48.7% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

4% (2014 est.)

7.4% (2013 est.)

note

data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

17.28 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

60.71 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - production

63,110 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

209.8 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

Electricity - consumption

6.944 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

63.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

34.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

1.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

1.365 million kW (2012 est.)

Electricity - production

7.375 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

9.432 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

44.94 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

54.37 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

281.5 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

68,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

15,560 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

40,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Broadcast media

large number of radio and TV stations broadcasting with private media outlets dominating; state-owned and private radio and TV stations generally operating freely, although both pro-government and anti-government groups have attacked media outlets in response to their reporting (2010)

Internet country code

.bo

Internet users

percent of population

36.6% (2014 est.)

total

3.9 million

Radio broadcast stations

AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)

Telephone system

domestic

most telephones are concentrated in La Paz, Santa Cruz, and other capital cities; mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly and, in 2011, teledensity reached about 80 per 100 persons

general assessment

Bolivian National Telecommunications Company was privatized in 1995 but re-nationalized in 2007; the primary trunk system is being expanded and employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; system operations, reliability, and coverage have steadily improved

international

country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

8 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

880,000

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

98 (2014 est.)

total

10.5 million

Television broadcast stations

48 (1997)

Airports

855 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

6

2,438 to 3,047 m

4

914 to 1,523 m

6 (2013)

over 3,047 m

5

total

21

Airports - with unpaved runways

631 (2013)

1,524 to 2,437 m

47

2,438 to 3,047 m

4

914 to 1,523 m

151

over 3,047 m

1

total

834

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 1, cargo 14, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned

5 (Syria 4, UK 1, (2010)

total

18

Pipelines

gas 5,457 km; liquid petroleum gas 51 km; oil 2,511 km; refined products 1,627 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

note

Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay

river port(s)

Puerto Aguirre (Paraguay/Parana)

Railways

narrow gauge

3,504 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

total

3,504 km

Roadways

paved

11,993 km

total

80,488 km

unpaved

68,495 km (2010)

Waterways

10,000 km (commercially navigable almost exclusively in the northern and eastern parts of the country) (2012)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

2,535,768 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

2,472,490

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

2,013,281 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

1,762,260

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

104,945 (2010 est.)

male

108,334

Military branches

Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB; includes Marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2013)

Military expenditures

1.47% of GDP (2012)

1.47% of GDP (2011)

1.47% of GDP (2010)

Military service age and obligation

18-49 years of age for 12-month compulsory male and female military service; Bolivian citizenship required; 17 years of age for voluntary service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides exemption from further military service (2013)

Disputes - international

Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas; contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of the border with Argentina

Illicit drugs

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 30,000 hectares under cultivation in 2011, a decrease of 13 percent over 2010; third largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 265 metric tons potential pure cocaine in 2011, a 29 percent increase over 2010; transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe; weak border controls; some money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade; major cocaine consumption (2013)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Bolivia is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking domestically and abroad; indigenous children are particularly vulnerable; Bolivian adults and children perform forced labor in domestic service, mining, ranching, agriculture, and food processing; Bolivian women and girls are sex trafficked in neighboring countries, while other Bolivians are found in forced labor in neighboring countries, Spain, and the US; a limited number of women from nearby countries are forced into prostitution in Bolivia

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List – Bolivia does not comply fully with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government did not demonstrate increasing anti-trafficking efforts during the reporting period; investigations decreased and convictions remained very low compared to the number of potential trafficking victims identified; the government did not offer adequate protective services for trafficking victims, leaving civil society organizations to provide most of the care without government support; trafficking prevention efforts were limited (2014)