Demographics of Bolivia

Demographics of Bolivia
Bolivia population pyramid in 2020
Population11,312,620 (2024 census)[1]
Density11.36/km2 (2024 est.)
Growth rate1.2% (2022 est.)
Birth rate16.7 per 1,000 pop. (2023 est.)
Death rate4.6 per 1,000 pop. (2023 est.)
Life expectancy68.87 years (2014)
 • male65.4 years (2013)
 • female71.1 years (2013)
Fertility rate2.24 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate39.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2013)
Net migration rate-1.00 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Age structure
0–14 years30.30% (2024 est.)
15–64 years64.77% (2024 est.)
65 and over4.93% (2024 est.)
Sex ratio
Total0.99 male/female (2012)
Under 151.05 male/female (2012)
15–64 years0.96 male/female (2012)
65 and over0.88 male/female (2012)
Nationality
NationalityBolivian
Major ethnic
Minor ethnic
Language
OfficialSpanish (44.89%)
Quechua (25.08%)
Aymara (16.77%)
Guarani (0.69%)
34 other native languages
SpokenLanguages of Bolivia

The demographic characteristics of the population of Bolivia are known from censuses, with the first census undertaken in 1826 and the most recent in 2024. The National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia (INE) has performed this task since 1950. The population of Bolivia in 2024 reached 11 million for the first time in history. The population density is 11.36 inhabitants per square kilometer, and the overall life expectancy in Bolivia at birth is 68.2 years. The population has steadily risen from the late 1800s to the present time. The natural growth rate of the population is positive, which has been a continuing trend since the 1950s; in 2012, Bolivia's birth rate continued to be higher than the death rate. Bolivia is in the third stage of demographic transition. In terms of age structure, the population is dominated by the 15–64 segment. The median age of the population is 23.1, and the gender ratio of the total population is 0.99 males per female.

Bolivia is inhabited mostly by Mestizo, Quechua and Aymara, while minorities include 37 indigenous groups (0.3% average per group). Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani languages, as well as 34 other native languages are the official languages of Bolivia. Spanish is the most-spoken language (60.7%) within the population. The main religions of Bolivia are the Catholic Church (81.8%), Evangelicalism (11.5%), and Protestantism (2.6%). There is a literacy rate of 91.2%. An estimated 7.6% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) is spent on education. The average monthly household income was Bs.1,378 ($293) in 1994. In December 2013 the unemployment rate was 3.2% of the working population. The average urbanization rate in Bolivia is 67%.

Population size and structure

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The first true estimate of the population of Bolivia came in 1826, in which 997,427 inhabitants were estimated. This number was calculated from the 1796 census organized by Francisco Gil de Taboada, which consisted of several Bolivian cities.[3] The first modern census was completed in 1831, and ten have been completed since then. The organizer of Bolivia's censuses has changed throughout the years—Andrés de Santa Cruz (1831), The Bolivian Statistical Office (1835, 1854, 1882), The Bolivian Statistical Commission (1845), The National Immigration Bureau and The Statistics and Geographic Propaganda (1900), and The Department of Statistics and Censuses (1950)—with the INE conducting the census since 1976.[3] The national census is supposed to be conducted every ten years, however, the 2012 census was late because of "climatic factors and the financing." The 2012 census was conducted on 21 November 2012, in which 10,027,254 inhabitants were in the country. The estimated cost of the census was $50 million.[4][5]

With a population of 10.0 million in 2012, Bolivia ranks 87th in the world by population.[6] Its population density is 9.13 inhabitants per square kilometer. The overall life expectancy in Bolivia is 65.4. The total fertility rate is 2.87 children per mother. Since 1950, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the birth rate exceeded the death rate of the country.[7] The population of Bolivia has been increasing since 1900, and has only had a negative per annum growth rate twice in its history (1835 and 1882). Bolivia is in the third stage of demographic transition. There were 562,461 immigrants in Bolivia in 2012, with the most (40.5%) coming from Argentina.[8] In 2008, there were 48,809 marriages in Bolivia, and 5,887 divorces throughout the country in 2011.[9][10]

Census population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1500 900,000—    
1600 800,000−0.12%
1800 887,000+0.05%
1826 997,427+0.45%
1831 1,088,768+1.77%
1835 1,060,777−0.65%
1845 1,378,896+2.66%
1854 2,326,126+5.98%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1882 1,172,156−2.42%
1900 1,555,818+1.59%
1950 2,704,165+1.11%
1976 4,613,486+2.08%
1992 6,420,792+2.09%
2001 8,274,325+2.86%
2012 10,027,254+1.76%
2024 11,312,620+1.01%
Source: 1500–1800,[11] 1826,[3] 1831–2001,[12] 2012[6]

Structure of the population

[edit]
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 21.XI.2012): [13]
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 5,019,447 5,040,409 10,059,856 100
0–4 556 294 533 654 1,089,948 10.83
5–9 504 623 488 031 992 654 9.87
10–14 549 866 528 298 1,078,164 10.72
15–19 559 285 546 999 1,106,284 11.00
20–24 493 018 485 588 978 606 9.73
25–29 407 293 410 102 817 395 8.13
30–34 372 197 381 634 753 831 7.49
35–39 310 162 320 870 631 032 6.27
40–44 270 971 273 730 544 701 5.41
45–49 228 006 233 978 461 984 4.59
50–54 199 526 203 694 403 220 4.01
55–59 159 128 164 897 324 025 3.22
60–64 134 457 145 410 279 867 2.78
65–69 98 098 106 431 204 529 2.03
70–74 71 902 80 521 152 423 1.52
75–79 44 974 54 302 99 276 0.99
80–84 36 230 46 633 81 095 0.81
85–89 15 884 22 039 37 923 0.38
90–94 5 996 8 669 14 665 0.15
95+ 3 305 4 929 8 234 0.08
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 1,610,783 1,549,983 3,160,766 31.42
15–64 3,134,043 3,166,902 6,300,945 62.63
65+ 274 621 323 524 598 145 5.95
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (30.VI.2021) (Post-censal estimates.): [14]
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 5,942,680 5,899,275 11,841,955 100
0–4 606 704 579 895 1,186,599 10.02
5–9 601 078 575 782 1,176,860 9.94
10–14 597 961 573 142 1,171,103 9.89
15–19 581 257 558 347 1,139,604 9.62
20–24 550 323 532 134 1,082,457 9.14
25–29 501 680 489 601 991 281 8.37
30–34 447 560 440 794 888 354 7.50
35–39 395 180 392 667 787 847 6.65
40–44 343 308 344 277 687 585 5.81
45–49 292 693 296 530 589 223 4.98
50–54 245 514 251 305 496 819 4.20
55–59 204 273 211 440 415 713 3.51
60–64 168 434 177 590 346 024 2.92
65–69 137 622 148 843 286 465 2.42
70–74 109 295 121 554 230 849 1.95
75–79 77 830 91 134 168 964 1.43
80–84 46 014 58 571 104 585 0.88
85–89 23 748 33 817 57 565 0.49
90–94 9 464 15 808 25 272 0.21
95+ 2 742 6 044 8 786 0.07
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 1,805,743 1,728,819 3,534,562 29.85
15–64 3,730,222 3,694,685 7,424,907 62.70
65+ 406 715 475 771 882 486 7.45

Vital statistics

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Year Population Births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate Crude death rate Natural change Fertility rates
1950 2,714 134 70 64 46.9 24.4 22.5 6.75
1955 3,100 149 73 76 46.8 23.0 23.8 6.75
1960 3,353 163 77 86 45.9 21.5 24.4 6.63
1965 3,751 181 81 100 45.4 20.2 25.2 6.56
1970 4,217 203 85 118 45.3 19.0 26.3 6.50
1975 4,786 208 81 127 41.1 16.0 25.1 5.80
1980 5,369 220 76 144 38.6 13.3 25.3 5.30
1985 6,041 238 72 166 37.1 11.3 25.8 5.00
1990 6,794 259 71 188 36.0 9.9 25.1 4.8
1995 7,635 263 71 192 32.7 8.9 23.8 4.32
2000 8,495 270 72 198 30.3 8.1 22.2 3.96
2005 9,355 267 73 194 27.3 7.5 19.8 3.50
2010 10,157 274 76 198 25.9 7.1 18.8 3.25
2015 11,025 282 79 203 24.5 6.9 17.6 3.04
 • All statistics are per 1,000 inhabitants
 • All data comes from estimations from the United Nations.[7]

Births and deaths

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[13][15]

Year Population Live births Deaths Natural increase Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase Crude migration rate TFR
2010 10,029,115 299,426 45,349 254,077 29.9 4.5 25.3
2011 10,192,885 312,349 45,579 266,770 30.6 4.5 26.2
2012 10,356,978 310,954 48,427 262,527 30.0 4.7 25.3 3.05
2013 10,521,247 304,895 50,120 254,775 29.0 4.8 24.2 -8.6 2.98
2014 10,685,994 294,117 50,847 243,270 27.5 4.8 22.7 -7.3 2.92
2015 10,851,103 283,011 50,476 232,535 26.1 4.7 21.4 -6.2 2.86
2016 11,016,438 261,122 51,875 209,247 23.7 4.7 19.0 -4.0 2.80
2017 11,181,861 251,232 50,847 200,385 22.5 4.5 18.0 -3.2 2.74
2018 11,347,241 219,790 52,380 167,410 19.4 4.6 14.8 -0.2 2.69
2019 11,512,468 229,906 53,194 176,712 20.0 4.6 15.4 -1.0 2.63
2020 11,677,406 213,247 79,613 133,634 18.3 6.8 11.5 2.6 2.58
2021 11,841,955 225,439 86,461 138,978 19.0 7.3 11.7 2.2 2.54
2022 12,006,031 214,599 66,611 147,988 17.9 5.6 12.3 2.41(e)
2023 12,169,501 199,263 54,408 144,855 16.7 4.6 12.1 2.24(e)

Fertility and Births

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Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[16]

Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
1989 5,0 (3,2) 4,0 (2,6) 6,4 (4,1)
1994 34 4,8 (2,7) 32 3,8 (2,4) 37 6,3 (3,3)
1998 30.4 4,2 (2,5) 27.4 3,3 (2,2) 35.4 6,4 (3,2)
2003 28 3,8 (2,1) 26 3,1 (1,9) 32 5,5 (2,6)
2008 26 3,5 (2,0) 24 2,8 (1,9) 28 4,9 (2,4)

Life expectancy

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Development of life expectancy
Period Life expectancy in
Years 		Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 40.0 1985–1990 53.8
1955–1960 41.4 1990–1995 56.5
1960–1965 43.0 1995–2000 59.3
1965–1970 44.7 2000–2005 62.1
1970–1975 46.7 2005–2010 65.0
1975–1980 48.9 2010–2015 67.7
1980–1985 51.2

Source: UN World Population Prospects[17]

Ethnic groups

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Ethno-racial groups in Bolivia (2012 census)[2]

  No data (58.25%)
  Native (41.52%)
  Black (0.23%)

Ethnicity in Bolivia according to the CIA Factbook (2009)[18]

  Mestizo (68%)
  Native (20%)
  White (5%)
  Cholo (2%)
  Black (1%)
  Others (4%)

According to a genetic study done on Bolivians, average values of Native American, European and African ancestry are 86%, 12.5%, and 1.5%, in individuals from La Paz and 76.8%, 21.4%, and 1.8% in individuals from Chuquisaca; respectively.[19]

Danza de los macheteros, typical dance from San Ignacio de Moxos, Bolivia
Aymara man, near Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

The vast majority of Bolivians are mestizo (with the indigenous component higher than the European one), although the government has not included the cultural self-identification "mestizo" in the November 2012 census.[20] There are approximately three dozen native groups totaling approximately half of the Bolivian population – the largest proportion of indigenous people in the Americas. Exact numbers vary based on the wording of the ethnicity question and the available response choices. For example, the 2001 census did not provide the racial category "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. Mestizos are distributed throughout the entire country and make up 26% of the Bolivian population, with the predominantly mestizo departments being Beni, Santa Cruz, and Tarija. Most people assume their mestizo identity while at the same time identifying themselves with one or more indigenous cultures. A 2018 estimate of racial classification put mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian) at 68%, indigenous at 20%, white at 5%, cholo at 2%, black at 1%, other at 4%, while 2% were unspecified; 44% attributed themselves to some indigenous group, predominantly the linguistic categories of Quechuas or Aymaras.[18] White Bolivians comprised about 14% of the population in 2006, and are usually concentrated in the largest cities: La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba, but as well in some minor cities like Tarija and Sucre. The ancestry of whites and the white ancestry of mestizos lies most notably Spain, Italy, Germany, and Croatia. In the Santa Cruz Department, there are several dozen colonies of German-speaking Mennonites from Russia totaling around 40,000 inhabitants (as of 2012).[21]

Afro-Bolivians, descendants of African slaves who arrived in the time of the Spanish Empire, inhabit the department of La Paz, and are located mainly in the provinces of Nor Yungas and Sud Yungas. Slavery was abolished in Bolivia in 1831.[22] There are also important communities of Japanese (14,000[23]) and Lebanese (12,900[24]).

Indigenous peoples, also called "originarios" ("native" or "original") and less frequently, Amerindians, could be categorized by geographic area, such as Andean, like the Aymaras and Quechuas (who formed the ancient Inca Empire), who are concentrated in the western departments of La Paz, Potosí, Oruro, Cochabamba and Chuquisaca. There also are ethnic populations in the east, composed of the Chiquitano, Chané, Guaraní and Moxos, among others, who inhabit the departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Tarija and Pando.

There are small numbers of European citizens from Germany, France, Italy and Portugal, as well as from other countries of the Americas, as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, the United States, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico and Venezuela, among others. There are important Peruvian colonies in La Paz, El Alto and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

There are around 140,000 Mennonites in Bolivia of Friesian, Flemish and German ethnic origins.[25][26]

A few Bolivians carry some Middle Eastern ancestry, mainly from Syria & Lebanon.

Indigenous peoples

[edit]
Distribution of Quechua people by municipality.
Distribution of Aymara people by municipality.
Map showing the area of indigenous peoples in Bolivia
Distribution of other Bolivian indigenous peoples by municipality.

The Indigenous peoples of Bolivia can be divided into two categories of ethnic groups: the Andeans, who are located in the Andean Altiplano and the valley region; and the lowland groups, who inhabit the warm regions of central and eastern Bolivia, including the valleys of Cochabamba Department, the Amazon Basin areas of northern La Paz Department, and the lowland departments of Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz, and Tarija (including the Gran Chaco region in the southeast of the country). Large numbers of Andean peoples have also migrated to form Quechua, Aymara, and intercultural communities in the lowlands.

  • Andean ethnicities
    • Aymara people. They live on the high plateau of the departments of La Paz, Oruro and Potosí, as well as some small regions near the tropical flatlands.
    • Quechua people. They mostly inhabit the valleys in Cochabamba and Chuquisaca. They also inhabit some mountain regions in Potosí and Oruro. They divide themselves into different Quechua nations, as the Tarabucos, Ucumaris, Chalchas, Chaquies, Yralipes, Tirinas, among others.
    • Uru people
  • Ethnicities of the Eastern Lowlands
    • Guaraníes: made up of Guarayos, Pausernas, Sirionós, Chiriguanos, Wichí, Chulipis, Taipetes, Tobas, and Yuquis.
    • Tacanas: made up of Lecos, Chimanes, Araonas, and Maropas.
    • Panos: made up of Chacobos, Caripunas, Sinabos, Capuibos, and Guacanaguas.
    • Aruacos: made up of Apolistas, Baures, Moxos, Chané, Movimas, Cayabayas, Carabecas, and Paiconecas (Paucanacas).
    • Chapacuras: made up of Itenez (More), Chapacuras, Sansinonianos, Canichanas, Itonamas, Yuracares, Guatoses, and Chiquitanos.
    • Botocudos: made up of Bororos and Otuquis.
    • Zamucos: made up of Ayoreos.

Languages

[edit]
Main article: Languages of Bolivia

The official languages of Bolivia are Spanish[27] (60.7%), Quechua[27] (21.2%), Aymara[27] (14.6), and Guaraní[27] (0.6%), plus another 33 native languages.[27] Originally only Spanish, Aymara, and Quechua were the official languages until the 2009 Constitution was passed.[28][29] According to the 2001 census, 60.7% of the population over six years old are able to speak Spanish and/or speaks it as a native language.

Religion

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Main article: Religion in Bolivia
Religion in Bolivia[27]
Religion percent
Roman Catholicism
 
 76.8%
Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism
 
 8.1%
Protestantism
 
 7.9%
Other
 
 1.7%
None
 
 5.5%

In a 2012 Gallup poll, 87% answered affirmatively when asked "Is religion important in your daily life?"[30] Christianity is the largest religion in Bolivia, with Roman Catholicism being the largest denomination.[31]


Notes

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  1. ^ "Censo 2024: Bolivia tiene 11.312.620 habitantes". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 29 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Características de la Población – Censo 2012" [Population Characteristics – 2012 Census] (PDF) (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Estadística. p. 103. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Hitos En La Producción Estadística" [Milestones in Statistical Production] (in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia. 2 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  4. ^ "El Gobierno Realizará el Censo 2012 el 21 de Noviembre" [The Government will make the 2012 Census on 21 November]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 19 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Censo 2012: Bolivia Tiene 10.389.913 habitantes" [Census 2012: Bolivia has 10,389,913 inhabitants]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia 2012, p. 4
  7. ^ a b "World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision". United Nations. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  8. ^ National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia 2012, p. 30
  9. ^ "Bolivia: Número de Matrimonios Registrados, por Departamento" [Bolivia: Number of Marriage Registrations, by Department]. National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  10. ^ "En Bolivia Registran más de 16 Divorcios Diarios" [In Bolivia, Divorces Recorded more than 16 per Day]. La Razon (in Spanish). 28 September 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Our World in Data, Bolivia". Our World in Data. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Censo en Bolivia se Inició en 1831" [Census in Bolivia Began in 1831]. La Opinión (in Spanish). 18 November 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Demographic Yearbook". United Nations Statistics Division.[not specific enough to verify]
  14. ^ "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Población y Hechos Vitales".
  16. ^ "Data Catalog". microdata.worldbank.org.
  17. ^ "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  18. ^ a b "Bolivia". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 25 March 2017. (Archived 2017 edition.)
  19. ^ Heinz, Tanja; Álvarez-Iglesias, Vanesa; Pardo-Seco, Jacobo; Taboada-Echalar, Patricia; Gómez-Carballa, Alberto; Torres-Balanza, Antonio; Rocabado, Omar; Carracedo, Ángel; Vullo, Carlos; Salas, Antonio (2013). "Ancestry analysis reveals a predominant Native American component with moderate European admixture in Bolivians". Forensic Science International: Genetics. 7 (5): 537–42. doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2013.05.012. PMID 23948324.
  20. ^ "Bolivia". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 8 October 2018. (Archived 2018 edition.)
  21. ^ "Bolivian Reforms Raise Anxiety on Mennonite Frontier". The New York Times. 21 December 2006. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  22. ^ Fogel, Robert William; Engerman, Stanley L. (1995). Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery. W W Norton & Company Incorporated. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-0-393-31218-8.
  23. ^ "ボリビア多民族国（The Plurinational State of Bolivia）". 外務省. Archived from the original on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  24. ^ "Geographical Distribution of the Lebanese Diaspora". The Identity Chef. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  25. ^ "Plautdietsch". Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  26. ^ "Bolivia". Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  27. ^ a b c d e f "South America :: BOLIVIA". CIA The World Factbook. 14 December 2021.
  28. ^ Arnade, Charles (14 March 2013). "Bolivia: Languages and Religion". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  29. ^ "Justia Bolivia :: Nueva Constitución Política Del Estado > PRIMERA PARTE > TÍTULO I > CAPÍTULO PRIMERO :: Ley de Bolivia". bolivia.justia.com.
  30. ^ "Gallup World View". Gallup. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  31. ^ Religion affiliation in Bolivia as of 2018. Based on Latinobarómetro. Survey period: 15 June to 2 August 2018, 1,200 respondents.

References

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