BOLIVIA

Country reportGoncear Vitalii (EMREI –

125)

Bolivia officially known as the Plurinational State of Bolivia  is a landlocked country located in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west.

Capital: Sucre (population 247,300)

Largest city: Santa Cruz de la Sierra (population 1,616,063)

The Boliviano (BOB), is the official currency of the Bolivia . It is divided into 100 smaller units called centavo.

The constitution of Bolivia provides that the Bolivia government shall have the power to print the Bolivian Boliviano and centavo coins to be used as a legal tender in Bolivia.

The politics of Bolivia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is head of state, head of government.

President of Bolivia : Evo Morales (since 2006)

• The gross domestic product (GDP) measures of national

income and output for a given country's economy.

• The GDP value of Bolivia represents 0.04 percent of the world

economy.

• This page includes a chart with historical data for Bolivia

GDP.

• The biggest sector of Bolivia´s economy is services. Financing, insurance, real estate and business services; transport, communication and warehousing; trade, restaurants and hotels and community, social, personal, household and government services account for 50 percent of the GDP. 

• GDP per capita PPP is obtained by dividing the country’s gross domestic product, adjusted by purchasing power parity, by the total population.

GNI per capita 1,810 (2010)2,020 (2011)

Inflation rate  9.9% (2011)4.7% (2012)

Unemployment rate 7.6% (2011) 7.5% (2012)

Labor force - by occupationagriculture: 32% industry: 20% services: 48% (2010)External debt: $5.451 billion (31 December 2011)$5.604 billion (31 December 2012) 

Doing Business in Bolivia

Doing business 2013 rank- 155Moldova: 83Bolivia is one of the most underexplored countries in South America, Bolivia is a country that is rich in natural resources.

It is a growing economy, that offers a lot of opportunities for business. Bolivia's exports to North America and Europe are growing and will continue to grow.

*Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 185. A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. 

COMPETITIVENESS IN BOLIVIA

According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2000, Boliviareceived the following rankings in the eight competitiveness factors, based on a universe of 58 countries:

• Openness index (openness to foreign trade and investment)

• Government index (public spending structure, tax system, qualifications of public

officials)

• Finance index (level of competency in the financial market, national savings and

investment levels, and credit rating from foreign observers)

• Infrastructure index (road quality, trains, ports, telecommunications, cost of air

transport and overall spending on infrastructure):

• Technology index (use of new technologies, technology gap, and the level and

quality of research and development)

• Labor index (labor market efficiency based on its flexibility, labor cost levels, human

resource quality)

• Institutions index (degree of competition among companies, levels of corruption

and bureaucracy, and the presence of organized crime)

•Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean(OPANAL)•Andean Community of Nations (CAN)•Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)•Group of 77 (G77)•Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)•International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)•International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)•International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)•International Criminal Court (ICCt)•International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)•International Development Association (IDA)•International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)•International Finance Corporation (IFC)•International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)•International Labour Organization (ILO)•International Maritime Organization (IMO)•International Monetary Fund (IMF)•International Olympic Committee (IOC)•International Organization for Migration (IOM)•International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (correspondent)•International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM)•International Telecommunication Union (ITU)•International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)•Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)•Latin American Economic System (LAES)•Latin American Integration Association (LAIA)•Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)•Nonaligned Movement (NAM)

•Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)•Organization of American States (OAS)•Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)•Rio Group (RG)•Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur) (associate)•Unión Latina•Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)•United Nations (UN)•United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)•United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)•United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)•United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)•United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT)•United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS)•United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI)•United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(MONUC)•United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)•United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)•Universal Postal Union (UPU)•World Confederation of Labor (WCL)•World Customs Organization (WCO)•World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)•World Health Organization (WHO)•World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)•World Meteorological Organization (WMO)•World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)•World Trade Organization (WTO)

International organization membershipThe Republic of Bolivia is a member of:

Population10,461,053 (2013)country comparison to the world: 82

Nationality:noun: Bolivian(s)adjective: Bolivian

Life expectancy at birth:total population: 67.9 yearscountry comparison to the world: 158male: 65.16 yearsfemale: 70.77 years (2012 est.) 0-14 years: 34.2% (male 1,793,771/female

1,727,107)15-24 years: 20.1% (male 1,045,178/female 1,020,161)25-54 years: 35.5% (male 1,772,342/female 1,877,724)55-64 years: 5.5% (male 265,285/female 300,772)65 years and over: 4.7% (male 215,700/female 271,963) (2012)

Population growth rate: 1.664% (2012 est.)country comparison to the world: 72Literacy rate: definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 86.7%male: 93.1%female: 80.7% (2001 census)Population below poverty line 51.3% note: standard of $2/day (2009 est.)

The average monthly salary is under $400 a month

Number of immigrants 116,000Immigrants as percentage of national population 1.263%

Exports$10.97 billion (2012 est.) $9.039 billion (2011 est.)

Exports - commoditiesnatural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin

Exports - partnersBrazil 41.8%,US 12.2%,South Korea 6.4%,Peru 5.7%,Argentina 5.2%,Japan 4.7% (2011)

Imports$8.14 billion (2012 est.) $7.126 billion (2011 est.)

Imports - commoditiespetroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides

Imports - partnersChile 23.5%, Brazil 23%, Argentina 10.3%, US 10.1%, Peru 6.9%, China 5.8% (2011)

BOLIVIA BALANCE OF TRADEBolivia recorded a trade surplus of 209.94 USD Million in February of 2013. Balance of Trade in Bolivia is reported by the Banco Central de Bolivia. This page includes a chart with historical data for Bolivia Balance of Trade.

Bolivia has modernized and simplified its trade policy but economic growth has been sluggish and investment trends have proved disappointing, according to a WTO Secretariat Report on the Trade Policies and Practices of Bolivia.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) are the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Bolivia 512,335,605 423,040,000 621,997,990 858,941,070

2008 2009 2010 2011

Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP)Foreign direct investment, net outflows (% of GDP) in Bolivia was -0.15 as of 2010. Its highest value over the past 30 years was 0.04 in 1988, while its lowest value was -0.15 in 2010.

Economy - overview Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin

America.

The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability,, and

violent protests against plans - - to export Bolivia's newly discovered

natural gas reserves.

The global recession slowed growth, but Bolivia recorded the highest

growth rate in South America during 2009.

During 2010-12 high world commodity prices sustained rapid growth

and large trade surpluses. However, a lack of foreign investment in the

key sectors of mining and hydrocarbons, along with growing conflict

among social groups pose challenges for the Bolivian economy.

Interesting Facts About Bolivia

• The largest deposit of salt on the planet is in Bolivia.

• Bolivia is one of the wettest countries in the world. The annual rainfall

is over 5000mm.

• The world’s largest butterfly sanctuary is in Bolivia.

• The main language spoken in Bolivia is Spanish.

• About 78% of the population is Roman Catholic.

• The Bolivian military recruit men as young as 14. 40% of the military

forces are between the ages of 14 and 18.

• Soccer (football) is the most popular sport in Bolivia.

• The official motto of Bolivia is a Spanish phrase which means “unity is

strength”.

• The Bolivian flag is red, yellow and green.

• The literacy rate is 87%- similar to Brazil but below the South American

average.

• The Bolivian judicial system has long been full of corruption.