Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Bolivia: population and ages

Bolivia: 12.7 million people on 1 January 2026.

The UN projects growth until 2086, to a peak of 17.9 million, and a decline after that.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
12,665,879
Median age
25.5
Births in 2026
261,496
Deaths in 2026
91,521
Life expectancy at birth
69.1
Children per woman
2.47
Under 15
29.3%
65 and over
5.8%
Population pyramid, Bolivia, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+050K50K100K100K150K150K
Population pyramid, Bolivia, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 3.09 million people, so the population is now 4.1 times as large.

The UN projects 261,000 births and 91,500 deaths in 2026, 170,000 more births than deaths.

The UN projects the first year with more deaths than births in 2089.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202405M10M15M20M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Bolivia: 12.7M

Ages

The median age is 25.5, which is 5.6 years below the world’s 31.1.

29% of the people are under 15 and 5.8% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

The UN projects that people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 15 from 2085.

Women have 2.5 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 6.2 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 69.1 years, below the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 40.7.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100WorldBolivia
2026 Bolivia: 25World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 16.1 million people, 26% more than now, with a median age of 31.9.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 20240100K200K300K1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 261.5KDeaths: 91.5K

Compare Bolivia with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 55% of the people lived in cities, 17% in towns and semi-dense areas and 28% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 59% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet79.7%2024
Access to electricity96.6%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)96.7%2024
93.4%2024
71.6%2024
91.0%2024
Human Development Index0.7332023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 68.6 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 15.8 more years for women and 14.0 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 8.9 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 14.4.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 17.8 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 10.5 million to 33.3 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 183,000 international migrants lived here, 1.5% of the population.

In mid-2024, 783,000 people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Argentina53,146
Brazil31,945
Spain15,148
Peru14,028
Mexico11,841
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
Argentina337,017
Spain188,863
Chile150,155
Brazil46,373
Peru22,190

Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 12.

CityPopulation 2025
La Paz2,024,413
Santa Cruz de la Sierra1,980,432
Cochabamba1,346,672
Oruro347,830
Sucre286,383
Potosí243,927
Tarija235,198
Montero123,020
Trinidad113,735
Riberalta84,432

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Bolivia every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
19503,089,96919.6133,00379,84140.76.19
19603,702,32318.6162,55584,05243.36.27
19704,590,01018.4195,85487,95747.16.00
19805,758,90018.3228,74288,28351.85.47
19907,130,14218.6257,15685,80756.84.90
20008,606,32619.9256,86583,86662.13.99
201010,182,34521.5260,86481,82866.03.21
202011,816,29924.0259,912128,03962.92.65
203013,405,56426.6261,37197,26269.72.38
204014,899,39629.3254,549115,09571.22.19
205016,110,16231.9246,054136,91272.62.06
206017,007,28334.2236,288159,09374.01.96
207017,590,20636.3226,437180,97775.41.90
208017,867,66138.2214,634197,93576.91.85
209017,899,00639.7204,464207,48078.21.83
210017,760,56441.1193,045212,39979.61.79

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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