GeoRealityMatch

The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country. FCDO travel advice, read 29 October 2026.

Vibrant display of handmade goods at the traditional market in Sucre, Bolivia under historic colonnades.White colonial arches and towers against a blue sky in Sucre, Bolivia.

Bolivia

South America

Medium safetyVery affordable cost of livingHigh development

Incomes are low.

BackpackerVery affordable cost of living.
vs Peru
Safety

91st most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
2.054lower is more peacefulMedium safety
#91 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Homicides
4.4per 100,000 people a yearHighUNODC / World Bank · 2023
Safety index
35.8Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferLowNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes below the median country

GNI per person
$4,420national income per person, US dollarsLow
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
8.6New York = 100Very affordableNumbeo · 2026
Property price to income
11.7years of median income to buy a median flatModerateNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 328% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 33% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$7.5K$15K$12,873 PPP$5,148Inflation, % a year20%0200620102015202020252006, $1,203 a person, $5,244 at PPP, inflation 4.3%2007, $1,355 a person, $5,537 at PPP, inflation 8.7%2008, $1,693 a person, $5,890 at PPP, inflation 14%2009, $1,731 a person, $6,024 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2010, $1,930 a person, $6,245 at PPP, inflation 2.5%2011, $2,316 a person, $6,598 at PPP, inflation 9.9%2012, $2,576 a person, $7,184 at PPP, inflation 4.5%2013, $2,870 a person, $8,069 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2014, $3,041 a person, $8,629 at PPP, inflation 5.8%2015, $2,996 a person, $8,757 at PPP, inflation 4.1%2016, $3,036 a person, $9,242 at PPP, inflation 3.6%2017, $4,048 a person, $10,420 at PPP, inflation 2.8%2018, $4,207 a person, $10,758 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2019, $4,203 a person, $11,005 at PPP, inflation 1.8%2020, $3,581 a person, $9,581 at PPP, inflation 0.9%2021, $4,011 a person, $11,202 at PPP, inflation 0.7%2022, $4,219 a person, $12,305 at PPP, inflation 1.7%2023, $4,275 a person, $12,903 at PPP, inflation 2.6%2024, $4,421 a person, $12,896 at PPP, inflation 5.1%2025, $5,148 a person, $12,873 at PPP, inflation 19.5%$0$7.5K$15KInflation, % a year20%0200620102015202020252006, $1,203 a person, $5,244 at PPP, inflation 4.3%2007, $1,355 a person, $5,537 at PPP, inflation 8.7%2008, $1,693 a person, $5,890 at PPP, inflation 14%2009, $1,731 a person, $6,024 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2010, $1,930 a person, $6,245 at PPP, inflation 2.5%2011, $2,316 a person, $6,598 at PPP, inflation 9.9%2012, $2,576 a person, $7,184 at PPP, inflation 4.5%2013, $2,870 a person, $8,069 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2014, $3,041 a person, $8,629 at PPP, inflation 5.8%2015, $2,996 a person, $8,757 at PPP, inflation 4.1%2016, $3,036 a person, $9,242 at PPP, inflation 3.6%2017, $4,048 a person, $10,420 at PPP, inflation 2.8%2018, $4,207 a person, $10,758 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2019, $4,203 a person, $11,005 at PPP, inflation 1.8%2020, $3,581 a person, $9,581 at PPP, inflation 0.9%2021, $4,011 a person, $11,202 at PPP, inflation 0.7%2022, $4,219 a person, $12,305 at PPP, inflation 1.7%2023, $4,275 a person, $12,903 at PPP, inflation 2.6%2024, $4,421 a person, $12,896 at PPP, inflation 5.1%2025, $5,148 a person, $12,873 at PPP, inflation 19.5%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Below-average life expectancy

Life expectancy
68.7years, at birthLow
#141 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
67WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100LowWHO · 2023
Air pollution
15.4PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageModerateWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Fast home internet

Unemployment rate
3%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
64 Mbpsmedian download speedFastOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
521EF English Proficiency Index scoreModerateEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet64 MbpsFast
Mobile16 MbpsVery slow

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

White colonial arches and towers against a blue sky in Sucre, Bolivia.
How it changed

Bolivia's Human Development Index

0.733High human development

108th of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 10th of 12 in South America.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #106South Africa0.741
  2. #107Uzbekistan0.740
  3. #108Bolivia0.733
  4. #108Gabon0.733
  5. #108Marshall Islands0.733
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1990

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.552 in 1990 to 0.733 in 2023.

0.500.650.800.73319902000201020231990: 0.5521991: 0.5611992: 0.5681993: 0.5771994: 0.5861995: 0.5941996: 0.6021997: 0.6101998: 0.6181999: 0.6242000: 0.6302001: 0.6392002: 0.6422003: 0.6452004: 0.6482005: 0.6582006: 0.6562007: 0.6642008: 0.6682009: 0.6712010: 0.6772011: 0.6832012: 0.6852013: 0.6992014: 0.7012015: 0.7042016: 0.7142017: 0.7152018: 0.7222019: 0.7282020: 0.6972021: 0.6932022: 0.7272023: 0.7330.500.650.8019902000201020231990: 0.5521991: 0.5611992: 0.5681993: 0.5771994: 0.5861995: 0.5941996: 0.6021997: 0.6101998: 0.6181999: 0.6242000: 0.6302001: 0.6392002: 0.6422003: 0.6452004: 0.6482005: 0.6582006: 0.6562007: 0.6642008: 0.6682009: 0.6712010: 0.6772011: 0.6832012: 0.6852013: 0.6992014: 0.7012015: 0.7042016: 0.7142017: 0.7152018: 0.7222019: 0.7282020: 0.6972021: 0.6932022: 0.7272023: 0.733

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 34 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
68.7 years2024at birthUp 4.6 years from 64.2 years in 2005
Internet users
80%2024of people onlineUp 74 points from 6% in 2006
Urban population
72%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 7 points from 65% in 2006
Births per woman
2.522024births per womanDown 1.04 from 3.56 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
13%2021of energy usedDown 13 points from 26% in 2004
Access to electricity
97%2024of people with electricityUp 28 points from 68% in 2005
Infant mortality
142024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 28 from 43 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
2.3 t2024of CO2 per person a yearUp 1.2 t from 1.1 t in 2005
Forest area
46%2023of land under forestDown 4 points from 50% in 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Landlocked Andean nation, ultra cheap, with the highest capital city in the world. The case against is low incomes, short lives and patchy access to essential health services.

About Bolivia

Bolivia is a landlocked South American country of extreme geographic contrasts, from the world's highest capital city to the surreal white expanse of the Salar de Uyuni salt flats, Amazonian jungle, and altiplano highlands. The indigenous Aymara and Quechua cultures remain powerfully present in daily life, markets, festivals, and cuisine. Altitude is a real factor and infrastructure can be basic, but those willing to adapt will find a country of raw, unforgettable beauty.

Practical facts

  • CapitalSucre
  • LanguagesAymara, Guaraní, Quechua, Spanish
  • CurrencyBolivian boliviano (BOB)
  • Area1,083,300 km²
  • Plug typeType A/B/C
  • Drives on theright
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Quick answers

What is Bolivia's Human Development Index?

Bolivia's Human Development Index is 0.733 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #108 of 193 by UNDP.

Is Bolivia safe?

Bolivia scores 2.05 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #91 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

How expensive is Bolivia?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Bolivia at 27.3 (New York = 100); that is #16 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Bolivia?

Life expectancy at birth in Bolivia is 68.7 yrs (World Bank), ranked #141 of 195 countries.