Bolivia Flag

Bolivia

Population

12,800,819

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
79th
Share of world
0.15%
Annual change
+167,4481.33%

Population of Bolivia

5M10M15M20M25M30M35MProjected peak202612.8M2050 projection16.1M↑ 26% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

95% prediction interval

Current population estimate: 12,800,819. 2050 projection: 16,110,162.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Bolivia. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
202612,749,2911.33%79
202512,581,8431.26%79
202011,816,2991.24%80
201911,671,3861.42%80
201811,508,3681.44%80
201711,344,5871.47%81
201511,014,7051.58%83
201010,182,3451.70%83
20059,360,7541.70%83
20008,606,3261.79%83

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Santa Cruz de la Sierra is home to 1,647,330 people, 12.92% of Bolivia's population.

City population1M700K200K
Santa Cruz de la Sierra 1.6MEl Alto 894.8KLa Paz 757.4KCochabamba 674.1KOruro 305.7KSucre 305.0KTarija 246.4KSacaba 228.9KPotosi 224.6K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Santa Cruz de la Sierra1.6M12.92%
2El Alto894.8K7.02%
3La Paz757.4K5.94%
4Cochabamba674.1K5.29%
5Oruro305.7K2.40%
6Sucre305.0K2.39%
7Tarija246.4K1.93%
8Sacaba228.9K1.80%
9Potosi224.6K1.76%
10Quillacollo172.9K1.36%

Bolivia by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Bolivia is home to an estimated 12,800,819 people, the 79th largest population in the world.
Daily change
Bolivia has a net population change of approximately 456 people per day, driven by 716 births, 251 deaths, and net emigration of 9 people.
Share of world
Bolivia makes up 0.15% of the world's population and 2.89% of South America's.
Density
11.8 people per km² of land (30.5 per mi²), ranking 216th among countries and territories.
Urban living
71.56% of people live in urban areas.

Bolivia Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 74100+ years, female: 26795–99 years, male: 83295–99 years, female: 2,02390–94 years, male: 4,42390–94 years, female: 8,33685–89 years, male: 12,67985–89 years, female: 21,07980–84 years, male: 31,88580–84 years, female: 45,92375–79 years, male: 57,01175–79 years, female: 73,96270–74 years, male: 91,04070–74 years, female: 108,06765–69 years, male: 135,48165–69 years, female: 152,16860–64 years, male: 183,99460–64 years, female: 196,41455–59 years, male: 235,28355–59 years, female: 240,81450–54 years, male: 285,99250–54 years, female: 288,44245–49 years, male: 340,32745–49 years, female: 341,55940–44 years, male: 398,93240–44 years, female: 394,00035–39 years, male: 469,14135–39 years, female: 463,71830–34 years, male: 518,18230–34 years, female: 512,63425–29 years, male: 550,63725–29 years, female: 541,98820–24 years, male: 574,81420–24 years, female: 561,37715–19 years, male: 606,82315–19 years, female: 588,60510–14 years, male: 619,81910–14 years, female: 599,6505–9 years, male: 627,0315–9 years, female: 605,7410–4 years, male: 640,2820–4 years, female: 617,847100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4200K200K400K400K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

26.5 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

69.1 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

50.08%

Female

49.92%

Life expectancy 66.6Life expectancy 71.7

Ethnicity

68%

Mestizo

  • Mestizo68%
  • Indigenous20%
  • White5%
  • Unspecified3%
  • Cholo/Chola2%
  • African descent1%
  • Other1%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2012 est.

68% Mestizo (Mixed White and Indigenous ancestry)

Religion

70%

Roman Catholic, the largest religion

  • Roman Catholic70%
  • Evangelical14.5%
  • None6.6%
  • Other3.5%
  • Adventist2.5%
  • Church of Jesus Christ1.2%
  • Atheist0.8%
  • Unspecified0.6%
  • Agnostic0.3%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2018 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Bolivia United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. Instituto Nacional de Estadística