Bolivia’s struggling economy and a corruption scan-dal took some of the polish off Evo Morales’s pres-idency in 2016. The plummeting price of natural

gas in the international market had begun to take a tollon the country’s economy a year earlier, and as the situa-tion worsened, some critics of Morales were quick to putthe blame on his doorstep for having failed to guideBolivia’s natural-gas-dependent economy in the directionof diversification. In a referendum in February, some 51%of Bolivians who voted punished Morales by choosing tonot amend the constitution to allow him to run for reelec-tion in 2019.

DemographyPopulation (2016): 10,702,000.Density (2016): persons per sq mi25.2, persons per sq km 9.7.

Sex distribution (2015): male49.48%; female 50.52%.

Population projection: (2020)11,351,000; (2030) 12,952,000.

Major cities (2012): Santa Cruz1,441,406 (urban agglomeration1,631,809); El Alto 842,3783;

La Paz 757,184 (urbanagglomeration 1,680,520);Cochabamba 630,587; Sucre237,480.

Urban-rural (2015):

Vital statisticsBirth rate per 1,000 population(2015): 22.8 (world avg. 19.5).

Death rate per 1,000 population(2015): 6.5 (world avg. 8.1).

Natural increase rate per 1,000population (2015): 16.3 (worldavg. 11.4).

Life expectancy at birth (2015):male 66.1 years; female 71.8years.

Age breakdown (2015):

Ethnic composition (2006): Religious affiliation (2001):

Bolivia

Official name: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia(Plurinational State of Bolivia).

Form of government: unitary multiparty republicwith two legislative houses (Chamber ofSenators [36]; Chamber of Deputies [130]).

Head of state and government: President EvoMorales Ayma.

Capitals1: La Paz (administrative); Sucre (consti-tutional)2.

Official languages: Spanish and 36 indigenouslanguages.

Official religion: none.Monetary unit: boliviano (Bs); valuation (Sept.1, 2016) 1 U.S.$ = Bs 6.93; 1 £ = Bs 9.22.

Area and populationarea population area population

2012 2012Departments sq km census Departments sq km census

Beni 213,564 422,008Chuquisaca 51,524 581,347Cochabamba 55,631 1,762,761La Paz 133,9854 2,719,344Oruro 53,588 494,587

Pando 63,827 110,436Potosí 118,218 828,093Santa Cruz 370,621 2,657,762Tarija 37,623 483,518TOTAL 1,098,581 10,059,856

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National economyBudget (2013)5. Revenue: Bs 103,738,800,000 (sales of hydrocarbons48.1%, tax revenue 38.5%). Expenditures: Bs 102,362,-700,000 (current expenditure 66.3%, capital expenditure33.7%).

Public debt (external, outstanding; 2014): U.S.$5,641,-706,000.

Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture,forestry, fishing (2014): sugarcane 7,870,292, soybeans3,275,025, potatoes 1,103,995, corn (maize) 1,083,996,sorghum 454,248, plantains (2013) 369,354, rice 333,361,wheat 263,076, cassava 245,124, sunflower seeds 208,000,bananas (2013) 173,572, oranges (2013) 168,682, tanger-ines, mandarins, clementines, and satsumas (2013)133,807; livestock (number of live animals) 9,499,147sheep, 8,865,033 cattle, 2,941,827 pigs; roundwood 3,367,208 cu m, ofwhich fuelwood 72%; fisheries production (2013) 8,247 (from aquacul-ture 13%). Mining and quarrying (2013): zinc 407,33110; ulexite149,818; lead 82,13110; tin 19,28710; tungsten 1,580; silver 1,287,200kg10; gold 6,751 kg10. Manufacturing (value added in U.S.$’000,000;2010): food products and beverages 972; cement, bricks, and ceramics234; chemicals and chemical products 210; mineral fuels (significantlyrefined petroleum products) 156; textiles, wearing apparel, and leatherproducts 105; base and fabricated metals 75.11 Energy production(consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 2013) 7,375,000,000 (6,456,000,000),by source (2012): fossil fuels 65.1%; renewable energy 34.9%, ofwhich hydroelectric 31.7%, biomass 3.2%; coal, none (none); crudepetroleum (barrels; 2014–15) 18,400,000 ([2011] 17,200,000); petrole-um products (metric tons; 2011) 2,199,000 (2,574,000); natural gas (cum; 2014–15) 22,151,000,000 ([2013] 3,200,000,000).

Average household size (2004): 4.3.Population economically active (2013): total (2015) 4,962,000; participa-tion rates: male 72.7%; female 54.8%; unemployed 2.8%, of whichyouth (ages 15–24) 6.9%.

Gross national income (GNI; 2014): U.S.$30,344,000,000 (U.S.$2,870per capita); purchasing power parity GNI (U.S.$6,290 per capita).

Land use as % of total land area (2009): in temporary crops 2.4%, leftfallow 0.8%, in permanent crops 0.2%, in pasture 30.5%, forest area53.1%.

Foreign trade9

Imports (2013): U.S.$9,353,000,000 (machinery andtransportation equipment 38.8%, basic manufac-tures 17.2%, chemicals and chemical products14.7%, mineral fuels and lubricants 13.8%, foodproducts and live animals 6.3%). Major import sources:

Exports (2013): U.S.$12,207,600,000 (mineral fuelsand lubricants 54.7%, crude materials [except fuels]19.9%, food products and live animals 9.9%, basicmanufactures 5.1%, [non-mineral] oils, fats, andwaxes 2.9%). Major export destinations:

Transport and communicationsTransport. Railroads (2004): route length (2014)

2,177 mi, 3,504 km; passenger-km286,000,000; metric ton-km cargo1,058,000,000. Roads (2010): total length50,013 mi, 80,488 km (paved 9%).Vehicles (2012): passenger cars 284,307;trucks and buses 740,734.

Education and healthLiteracy (2015): percentage of total populationage 15 and over literate 95.7%; males literate97.8%; females literate 93.6%.

Health: physicians (2013) 9,047 (1 per 1,124 per-sons); hospital beds (2014) 11,375 (1 per 909persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 livebirths (2015) 37.5; undernourished population(2006–08) 2,500,000 (27% of total populationbased on the consumption of a minimum dailyrequirement of 1,740 calories).

MilitaryTotal active duty personnel(November 2015): 34,100 (army66.9%, navy 14.1%, air force19.0%). Military expenditure aspercentage of GDP (2015): 1.3%;per capita expenditure U.S.$41.

1Executive and legislative branches meet in La Paz, judiciary in Sucre. 2Per 2009 constitution. 3Within La Paz urbanagglomeration. 4Includes the 3,690 sq km area of the Bolivian part of Lake Titicaca. 5Consolidated budget. 6Population10 years of age and over. 7Import duties and indirect taxes less imputed bank service charges. 8Detail does not add to totalgiven because of rounding. 9Imports c.i.f.; exports f.o.b. 10Metal content. 11Per the United Nations Office on Drugs andCrime, Bolivia ranked 3rd in the world in coca production (about 20,200 hectares) in 2015. 12Subscribers.

Internet resources for further information:• Instituto Nacional de Estadística www.ine.gob.bo• Banco Central de Bolivia www.bcb.gob.bo

Structure of gross domestic product and labour force2015 2007

in value % of total labour % of labourBs ’000,000 value force6 force6

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 23,349 10.2 1,686,700 34.2Mining and quarrying 11,955 5.2 72,400 1.5Crude petroleum, nat. gas 10,855 4.8Manufacturing 23,239 10.2 514,900 10.5Construction 6,750 3.0 316,300 6.4Public utilities 4,670 2.0 15,400 0.3Transp. and commun. 19,984 8.8 272,400 5.5Trade, hotels 19,758 8.7 833,100 16.9Finance, real estate 21,896 9.6 164,900 3.4Pub. admin., defense 34,355 15.1 152,300 3.1Services 8,847 3.9 641,900 13.0Other 42,3557 18.67 257,100 5.2TOTAL 228,0148 100.08 4,927,400 100.0

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Communications units unitsnumber per 1,000 number per 1,000

Medium date in ’000s persons Medium date in ’000s persons

TelephonesCellular 2014 10,45012 96312

Landline 2014 876 81

Internet users 2009 1,103 112Broadband 2014 17312 1612

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