Economy — Bolivia
GDP, employment, industries, public finance, and currency.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Economy at a glance
GDP, employment, industries, public finance, and currency. Key figure for Bolivia: Bolivia is a resource-rich country with strong growth attributed to captive markets for natural gas exports – to Brazil and Argentina. However, the country remains one of the least developed countries in Latin America because of state-oriented policies that deter investment. Following an economic crisis during the…
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Economic overview
- Economic Overview
Bolivia is a resource-rich country with strong growth attributed to captive markets for natural gas exports – to Brazil and Argentina.
However, the country remains one of the least developed countries in Latin America because of state-oriented policies that deter investment.
Following an economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms in the 1990s spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates.
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 2005-06, the government passed hydrocarbon laws 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 laws engendered much public debate.
High commodity prices between 2010 and 2014 sustained rapid growth and large trade surpluses with GDP growing 6.8% in 2013 and 5.4% in 2014.
The global decline in oil prices that began in late 2014 exerted downward pressure on the price Bolivia receives for exported gas and resulted in lower GDP growth rates - 4.9% in 2015 and 4.3% in 2016 - and losses in government revenue as well as fiscal and trade deficits.
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.
In 2015, President Evo MORALES expanded efforts to court international investment and boost Bolivia’s energy production capacity.
MORALES passed an investment law and promised not to nationalize additional industries in an effort to improve the investment climate.
In early 2016, the Government of Bolivia approved the 2016-2020 National Economic and Social Development Plan aimed at maintaining growth of 5% and reducing poverty.
- Industries
Mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing, jewelry
- GDP - per capita (PPP)
$7,200.00 (USD)
- GDP - real growth rate
3.7%
GDP & growth
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product (PPP)
$92,590,000,000 (USD)
- GDP Per Capita
$7,200.00 (USD)
- GDP - real growth rate
3.7%
- GDP - official exchange rate
$35,700,000,000 (USD)
- GDP - composition, by end use
- Household Consumption: 69.3%
- Government Consumption: 18.2%
- Investment in Fixed Capital: 20.4%
- Investment in Inventories: -1.4%
- Exports of Goods and Services: 29%
- Imports of Goods and Services: -35.5%
- GDP by Sector- agriculture
13.3%
- GDP by Sector- Industry
37.4%
- GDP by Sector- services
53.6%
- Industrial Growth Rate
3.5%
Prices & money
- Inflation Rate
3.9%
- Exchange Rate per US Dollar
6.91
- Currency Name and Code
Bolivianos (BOB)
- Fiscal Year
Calendar Year
- Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
7.6%
Employment & labor
- Labor Force
4,993,000
- Unemployment Rate
7.5%
- Unemployment - note
Data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment
- Major Industries
Mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing, jewelry
- Agriculture Products
Soybeans, quinoa, Brazil nuts, sugarcane, coffee, corn, rice, potatoes, chia, coca
- Population Below Poverty Line
45%
- Child Labor - # of children ages 5-14
553,323
- Child Labor - % of children ages 5-14
26%
- Child Labor - note
note: data represents children ages 5-13
Public finance
- Annual Budget
$15,440,000,000 (USD)
- Public Debt (% of GDP)
47%
- Budget Surplus or Deficit - percent of GDP
-6.2%
- Taxes and other revenues - percent of GDP
43.3%
