Bolivia People 2024, CIA World Factbook
Population
12,186,079 (2023 est.)
Nationality
noun: Bolivian(s)
adjective: Bolivian
Ethnic groups
Mestizo (mixed White and Amerindian ancestry) 68%, Indigenous 20%, White 5%, Cholo/Chola 2%, African descent 1%, other 1%, unspecified 3%; 44% of respondents indicated feeling part of some Indigenous group, predominantly Quechua or Aymara (2009 est.)
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 interchangeably, providing one or the other as a response choice, or providing the two as separate response choices
Languages
Spanish (official) 68.1%, Quechua (official) 17.2%, Aymara (official) 10.5%, Guarani (official) 0.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.1%; note - Bolivia's 2009 constitution designates Spanish and all Indigenous languages as official; 36 Indigenous languages are specified, including a few that are extinct (2012 est.)
major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Spanish audio sample:
Religions
Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 19.6% (Evangelical (non-specific) 11.9%, Evangelical Baptist 2.1%, Evangelical Pentecostal 1.8%, Evangelical Methodist 0.7%, Adventist 2.8%, Protestant (non-specific) 0.3%), Believer (not belonging to the church) 0.9%, other 4.8%, atheist 1.7%, agnostic 0.6%, none 6.1%, unspecified 1.3% (2023 est.)
Demographic profile
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.
Between 7% and 16% of Bolivia’s population lives abroad (estimates vary in part because of illegal migration). Emigrants primarily seek jobs and better wages in Argentina (the principal destination), the US, and Spain. In recent years, more restrictive immigration policies in Europe and the US have increased the flow of Bolivian emigrants to neighboring countries. Fewer Bolivians migrated to Brazil in 2015 and 2016 because of its recession; increasing numbers have been going to Chile, mainly to work as miners.
Age structure
0-14 years: 29.14% (male 1,813,044/female 1,737,699)
15-64 years: 64.03% (male 3,929,462/female 3,872,943)
65 years and over: 6.84% (2023 est.) (male 384,356/female 448,575)
2023 population pyramid: 
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 56.3
youth dependency ratio: 48.7
elderly dependency ratio: 12
potential support ratio: 8.3 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 26.2 years (2023 est.)
male: 25.9 years
female: 26.6 years
Population growth rate
1.06% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
18.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
-1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population distribution
a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population; a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes
Urbanization
urban population: 71.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.936 million LA PAZ (capital), 1.820 million Santa Cruz, 1.400 million Cochabamba (2022); 278,000 Sucre (constitutional capital) (2018)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
21.1 years (2008 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Maternal mortality ratio
161 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 22.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 24.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 72.5 years (2023 est.)
male: 71 years
female: 74 years
Total fertility rate
2.26 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.1 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
66.5% (2016)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 99.2% of population
rural: 80.2% of population
total: 93.5% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.8% of population
rural: 19.8% of population
total: 6.5% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
7.9% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
1.03 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Hospital bed density
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 97.8% of population
rural: 48.4% of population
total: 83.1% of population
unimproved: urban: 2.2% of population
rural: 51.6% of population
total: 16.9% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: very high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
20.2% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 2.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 2.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 12.7% (2020 est.)
male: 20.5% (2020 est.)
female: 4.8% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
3.4% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
57.1% (2023 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 15: 3.4%
women married by age 18: 19.7%
men married by age 18: 5.2% (2016 est.)
Education expenditures
9.8% of GDP (2020 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 96.5%
female: 88.6% (2015)
NOTE: The information regarding Bolivia on this page is re-published from the 2024 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bolivia 2024 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bolivia 2024 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.