EVATT 2017
COUNTRY BRIEFING
Bolivia
Type of Government: Presidential Republic
President: Evo Morales (term ends 2019);
Capital City: Sucre (though La Paz acts as the headquarters for a number of
government ministries)
Ideology: Culturally socialist.
Region: South America
Neighbours: Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Paraguay
DEMOGRAPHICS
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Population: 11 million people
Religion: Historically Catholic and only just recently become officially secular.
76% of people declare themselves as Catholics;5% agnostics or atheists.
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Age: Average life expectancy at birth is 68 years for men and 73 years for
women.
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Ethnicity: 68% Mestizo, 21% Indigenous, 4% White and 2%
Cholo..
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Language: Spanish is the national language though there is almost 36 native languages which
have begun to be rehabilitated by the government.
ECONOMY
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Bolivia is the 95th largest economy and is characterised as a lower-middle income country. .
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Bolivia is a single-commodity focused economy and has rarely attempted to diversify itself
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Bolivia’s main currency is the Boliviano; the value of which is heavily linked to the value of natural
gas and petroleum
The government still retains significant control over public utilities and companies. The economy is
frequently a public issue, with export plans actually being put to a national referendum.
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Major Industries
• The largest employer of Bolivians is the Agriculture and Forestry sector which employs nearly 44%
of Bolivia’s working population.
• The majority of the Agricultural industry is devoted to the production of Coca of which the country is
the world’s third largest cultivator.
• Bolivia is known as a key transit country for Cocaine and the government has taken tentative steps
to address this issue.
• Soybeans has recently grown as a key alternative export.
Exports
• Major Partners: Brazil 28.1%, Argentina 16.9%, United States 12.1%, Colombia 6.3%, China
5.3%, Japan 4.7% and South Korea 4.3%
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Gas accounts for roughly 50% of Bolivia's total exports and will fund more than half of its 2015
budget. However, the country remains one of the least developed countries in Latin America
because of state-oriented policies that deter investment and growth.
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Major areas of export include: Natural Gas, minerals,
gold, soybeans, tin and Coca.
Imports
• Major partners: China 17.9%, Brazil 16.5%,
Argentina 11.8%, US 10.6%, Peru 6.2%, Japan
5.2%, Chile 4.6%
• Major Imports include: machinery, petroleum
products, vehicles, iron and steel, plastics
MILITARY
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Size: 55,500 total. Bolivia has strict conscription
laws compelling all fit males between the ages of 18
and 49 to join the armed forces. However due to
budgetary constraints this is not enforced. Military
forces are frequently deployed to assist operations
against drug trafficking
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Army: 37,100 regular personnel and is organised in a western style with highly trained servicemen.
Equipment is supplied by the United States and old weapons from the former Soviet Union.
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Airforce: The Bolivian Airforce has approximately 84 aircraft in total however these are used to
transport military forces. Fighters and combat aircraft are not used and are frequently antiques.
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Navy: 5000 regular personnel Bolivia is a landlocked country after the War of the Pacific in 1883.
The Navy is used to cultivate a maritime consciousness and to ensure Bolivians still believe in their
country’s right to ocean access. Peru granted Bolivia access to dock facilities, a free trade zone
and an option for a naval annex in 2010 however this has yet to be acted on.
POLITICS
Domestic politics
• In 2006 the President Evo Morales nationalised the natural gas industry and has taken steps to
further intervene in the economy.
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Indigenous languages are now compulsory for all students. This is the government's attempt to
create a move cohesive state.
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Bolivia is struggling to contain the illegal drug trade which has lead to frequent military operations
and government regulations designed to destroy the cultivation of the Coca plant.
Foreign policy concerns
• Bolivia’s main diplomatic objective is to regain control over a vital land corridor that is the country’s
only link to the ocean.
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Other main objectives have been attempts to garner international support to combat the
increasingly powerful drug trade.
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Bolivia is an active member of the Organisation for American States and is typically aligned with
other socialist leaders in the region.
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Bolivia has been seeking to enhance its economic integration with its neighbours.
More Information
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivia
CIA: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bl.html
Bolivian Foreign Policy: http://www.cfr.org/region/bolivia/ri321
Latest news from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/topic/destination/bolivia