Plurinational State of Bolivia
Landlocked · South America · 9 departments
- Capital
- Sucre (constitutional); La Paz (seat of government)
- Largest city
- Santa Cruz de la Sierra
- Languages
- Spanish and 36 recognised indigenous languages, including Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní
- Demonym
- Bolivian
- Government
- Unitary presidential republic
- President
- Rodrigo Paz Pereira (since 8 November 2025)
- Currency
- Boliviano (BOB · Bs)
- Area
- 1,098,581 km² (424,164 sq mi)
- Population
- 11,312,620 (2024 census, INE)
- WTO member
- Yes — since 1995
- Trade blocs
- Mercosur (full member since 2024); Andean Community (CAN)
Bolivia's Geography & People
Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America, bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru. It stretches from the high Andes in the west to lowlands in the Amazon basin in the east.
The 2024 census counted 11,312,620 people (INE). Santa Cruz is now the most populous department, with 3.1 million people.
Bolivia's Economy
Mining is the backbone of Bolivia's exports: silver, zinc and gold together earned more than any other sector in 2026. Natural gas, once the main export, has declined as production fell.
Agriculture adds soya and its derivatives, Brazil nuts, quinoa, chia and sugar, mostly from the Santa Cruz lowlands.
Bolivia's Trade Policy
Bolivia is a full member of Mercosur and a member of the Andean Community, which gives duty-free access to neighbouring markets. It has been a WTO member since 1995.
The government of Rodrigo Paz, in office since November 2025, has introduced new economic and trade measures, which INE credits for widening the trade surplus in July 2026.
Bolivia's Trade Position
After deficits in January–July of 2023, 2024 and 2025, Bolivia returned to a trade surplus in January–July 2026, driven by mineral and gold exports at high international prices (IBCE, INE data).
China was Bolivia's largest trading partner in both directions, buying mainly minerals and supplying vehicles and manufactured goods (IBCE, INE data).
Bolivia's Top Trading Partners
Goods · Jan–Jul 2026 · INE via IBCE| # | Partner | Total Trade | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $3,322M | 23.8% |
| 2 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $1,513M | 10.8% |
| 3 | 🇮🇳 India | $903M | 6.5% |
| 4 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $849M | 6.1% |
| 5 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | $799M | 5.7% |
| 6 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | $797M | 5.7% |
| 7 | 🇵🇪 Peru | $723M | 5.2% |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 United States | $580M | 4.1% |
| 9 | 🇨🇱 Chile | $515M | 3.7% |
| 10 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $470M | 3.4% |
Exports plus imports, preliminary. Ranked among the 20 partners in IBCE's country table; imports from all other countries together were $975M. Source: IBCE Cifras No. 1447 (3 September 2026), with INE data.
India is now Bolivia's second-largest export market
India moved up to become the second-largest buyer of Bolivian goods in 2026, purchasing mainly gold (IBCE, INE data). Bolivia has no trade agreement with India. Check trade obstacles for your product →
Other Country Profiles
Import Summary
Bolivia's Top Import Sources
Goods · Jan–Jul 2026 · INE via IBCELATEST| # | Country | Imports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $1,556M | |
| 2 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $878M | |
| 3 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | $615M | |
| 4 | 🇨🇱 Chile | $447M | |
| 5 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | $364M | |
| 6 | 🇵🇪 Peru | $362M | |
| 7 | 🇺🇸 United States | $288M |
Preliminary. Ranked among the 20 partners in IBCE's country table; beyond seventh place, partners outside the table could rank higher, so the list stops at seven. Source: IBCE Cifras No. 1447, with INE data.
Bolivia's Top Imported Products
Jan–Jul 2026 · INELATEST| # | Product | Imports | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diesel (gas oils) | $1,079M | 17.9% | ▲ 13.8% |
| 2 | Motor gasoline & light oils | $502M | 8.3% | ▼ 11.2% |
| 3 | Passenger vehicles | $249M | 4.1% | ▲ 63.3% |
The official INE-based portal of the Ministry of Productive Development publishes the three largest import products for the period; a longer ranking for January–July 2026 was not available at the time of publication. Change versus January–July 2025.
Bolivia's Import Trend
Goods · US$ · Jan–Jul each year| Period | Goods Imports | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Jul 2026 | $6,029M | ▲ 10.0% |
| Jan–Jul 2025 | $5,481M | ▼ 7.3% |
| Jan–Jul 2024 | $5,911M | ▼ 11.6% |
Preliminary. Bolivia's monthly figures are compared on a January–July basis. Source: IBCE Cifras No. 1447, with INE data.
India is a small but steady supplier to Bolivia
Bolivia imported $106 million of goods from India in January–July 2026, almost unchanged from $105 million a year earlier (IBCE, INE data). Check import duty for your product →
Export Summary
Bolivia's Top Export Markets
Goods · Jan–Jul 2026 · INE via IBCELATEST| # | Country | Exports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $1,766M | |
| 2 | 🇮🇳 India | $797M | |
| 3 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $682M | |
| 4 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $635M | |
| 5 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $444M | |
| 6 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | $435M | |
| 7 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | $427M | |
| 8 | 🇵🇪 Peru | $361M | |
| 9 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | $350M | |
| 10 | 🇮🇹 Italy | $308M |
Preliminary, including re-exports. China buys mainly minerals, India mainly gold and Japan mainly minerals (IBCE). Source: IBCE Cifras No. 1447, with INE data.
Bolivia's Top Exported Products
Jan–Jul 2026 · INELATEST| # | Product | Exports | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Precious-metal ores & concentrates (mainly silver) | $2,196M | 27.7% | ▲ 171.8% |
| 2 | Non-monetary gold | $1,332M | 16.8% | ▲ 174.5% |
| 3 | Zinc ores & concentrates | $996M | 12.6% | ▲ 26.5% |
| 4 | Soya & derivatives | $615M | 7.8% | ▲ 5.7% |
| 5 | Hydrocarbons (mainly natural gas) | $607M | 7.7% | ▼ 12.4% |
| 6 | Jewellery | $318M | 4.0% | ▲ 118.6% |
| 7 | Brazil nuts | $164M | 2.1% | ▲ 23.0% |
| 8 | Beef | $112M | 1.4% | — |
| 9 | Sugar | $44M | 0.6% | ▲ 63.5% |
| 10 | Sunflower & derivatives | $36M | 0.4% | ▲ 5.9% |
Rows 1–3 are individual products from INE data on the Ministry of Productive Development portal; rows 4–10 are IBCE product groups from INE data. Shares are of exports excluding re-exports ($7,929M). The January–July 2025 value for beef was not available, so no change is shown. Change versus January–July 2025.
Bolivia's Export Trend
Goods · US$ · Jan–Jul each year| Period | Goods Exports | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Jul 2026 | $7,948M | ▲ 58.6% |
| Jan–Jul 2025 | $5,012M | ▼ 4.5% |
| Jan–Jul 2024 | $5,249M | ▼ 19.5% |
Preliminary. Bolivia's monthly figures are compared on a January–July basis. Source: IBCE Cifras No. 1447, with INE data.
Bolivia's largest trade surplus is with India
Bolivia's surplus with India reached $691 million in January–July 2026, up from $169 million a year earlier, the biggest surplus it runs with any country (IBCE, INE data). Check trade obstacles →