Bolivia (Republic of Bolivia)

Bolivia Republic of Bolivia
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	83rd best
Capital	La Paz (administrative/legislative) and Sucre (judicial)
Land Area	1 083 300km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	11.4m2
Life Expectancy	63.63yrs (2017)3
GNI	$8 111 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	BO, BOL, 685
Internet Domain	.bo6
Currency	Boliviano (BOB)7
Telephone	+5918

1. Overview
2. Bolivia National and Social Development
3. Bolivia's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Bolivia's Health
6. Bolivia's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Bolivia's Modernity and Learning
8. Bolivia's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#spain

“Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor, indigenous majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands. In December 2009, President MORALES easily won reelection, and his party took control of the legislative branch of the government, which will allow him to continue his process of change. In October 2011, the country held its first judicial elections to appoint judges to the four highest courts.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Rough around the edges, superlative in its natural beauty, rugged, vexing, complex and slightly nerve-racking, Bolivia is one of South America´s most diverse and perplexing nations. ... Plunging from the Andes down to the edge of the Amazon, multiday journeys follow ancient Inca paving, while trips along rivers deep in the heart of the Amazon take you past the riotous barks of monkeys and a thriving mass of biodiversity that will leave you awestruck. Bolivia is a wild place and nature lovers, aesthetes and poets alike will find landscapes, views, and nature-born experiences not seen in many other places on the planet. The cultural, historical and spiritual depths and richness of Latin America´s most indigenous nation are astounding. Officially a Plurinational State, Bolivia is an amazing place to learn from and experience a diverse mix of peoples. It is home to at-risk cultures and languages that could disappear within our lifetime, and its people maintain traditions and beliefs that reach back to the days of the Inca kings and Tiwanaku cosmologist priests.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Bolivia National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
115	Vietnam	0.703
116	Philippines	0.699
117	Botswana	0.693
118=	Bolivia	0.692
118=	Kyrgyzstan	0.692
120	Venezuela	0.691
121	Iraq	0.686
122	Tajikistan	0.685
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
116	Guatemala	$8 723
117	Namibia	$8 634
118	El Salvador	$8 296
119	Bolivia	$8 111
120	Uzbekistan	$7 917
121	Cuba	$7 879
122	Vietnam	$7 867
123	Laos	$7 700
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	25.2
2	Norway	28.2
3	Netherlands	30.1
	...
80	Jamaica	83.7
81	Cape Verde	84.4
82	Russia	84.7
83	Bolivia	85.9
84	Morocco	86.0
85	Vatican City	86.3
86	Kazakhstan	86.7
87	UAE	86.7
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.4
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Bolivia's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Bolivia's population is predicted to rise to 13.39 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 2.58. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
76	Tunisia	11.6m
77	Benin	11.5m
78	Belgium	11.5m
79	Bolivia	11.4m
80	Cuba	11.3m
81	Burundi	11.2m
82	Haiti	11.1m
83	S. Sudan	11.0m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
154	Mauritania	64.4
155	Ghana	63.8
156	Yemen	63.8
157	Bolivia	63.6
158	Nauru	63.6
159	Congo, (Brazzaville)	63.5
160	Comoros	63.4
161	Haiti	63.2
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
99	Oman	2.57
100=	Greece	1.43
100=	Portugal	1.43
102	Bolivia	2.58
103	Russia	1.42
104=	Austria	1.41
104=	Norway	1.41
104=	Estonia	1.41
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
86	Indonesia	12.4
87=	Myanmar	12.5
87=	India	12.5
89	Bolivia	12.7
90	Nicaragua	13.1
91	Paraguay	13.2
92	Iran	13.4
93	Samoa	13.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
142	Ghana	1.4%
143	Niger	1.4%
144	Yemen	1.4%
145	Bolivia	1.3%
146	Tuvalu	1.3%
147	Malawi	1.3%
148	Sierra Leone	1.3%
149	Guinea-Bissau	1.3%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
85	Honduras	7.5%
86	Austria	7.1%
87	Uzbekistan	7.0%
88	Bolivia	6.8%
89	Guinea-Bissau	6.8%
90	Slovenia	6.5%
91	Kiribati	6.5%
92	Bhutan	6.3%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#Bolivia #bolivia_freethought #equality #freedom #freethought #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	7.8
2	Netherlands	8.7
3	Denmark	8.8
	...
46	Monaco	61.1
47	Montenegro	63.3
48	Israel	64.4
49	Bolivia	65.5
50	Cape Verde	66.3
51	Mexico	66.7
	The Americas Avg	71.80
	World Avg	89.80
q=199.

Bolivia does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Bolivia comes in the best 20 for freethought₁₉ (amongst the best in The Americas) and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₀. It does better than average for the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₁ (but high for The Americas), its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₂, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃ (but amongst the worst in The Americas), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₄, its average Freedom in the World rating (but bad for The Americas) and in LGBT equality in the 2020s₂₅. But, things could still be better. Bolivia does worse than average when it comes to supporting press freedom₂₆, opposing gender inequality₂₇ and in combatting modern slavery₂₈. In 2008 almost a million children (as young as 10) were in work, and recent laws (in 2014) have encouraged this₂₉. "President Evo Morales has created a hostile environment for human rights defenders"₃₀ and "impunity for violent crime and human rights violations remains a serious problem in Bolivia"₃₀. The justice system has serious problems with corruption and lack of process₃₀. Despite a secular Constitution, the Catholic Church is powerful and uses its influence over politicians to undermine equality and stop non-discrimination laws₃₁. LGBT folk cannot marry nor engage in civil unions₂₉. Women and girls face gender-based violence and unnecessary barriers to family planning services₃₂.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Bolivia

5. Bolivia's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #bolivia #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2025)33
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank33
1	Canada	57.4
2	Turks & Caicos Islands	62.6
3	St Martin	66.7
	...
33	Paraguay	105.5
34	Belize	106.7
35	Puerto Rico	109.9
36	Suriname	110.1
37	Honduras	112.1
38	Guatemala	113.2
39	Nicaragua	117.1
40	Haiti	117.2
41	Bolivia	118.9
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=41.

Health (2025)33
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank33
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
141	Haiti	117.2
142	Djibouti	118.5
143	Ghana	118.5
144	Bolivia	118.9
145	S. Africa	119.0
146	Syria	119.3
147	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	120.0
148	Solomon Islands	120.6
	World Avg	96.86
q=204.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino₃₄. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₃₄.

36 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, its immunizations take-up and childhood mortality (so far). The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₄, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₃₄.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Bolivia has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Bolivia does better than average in its smoking rate₃₅, its alcohol consumption rate₃₆, its immunizations take-up₃₇, the prevalence of overweight adults₃₈ and in its fertility rate₁₄ (but bad for The Americas). Bolivia does not succeed in everything, however. Bolivia does worse than average when it comes to its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₉, childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far)₄₀, its adolescent birth rate₄₁ and in its average life expectancy₁₁ (one of the worst in The Americas). The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Bolivia improved by +11.4yrs in the 30 years from 1990, much better than the global average of +7.9yrs. Bolivia's peak fertility rate was 6.36 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
154	Mauritania	64.4
155	Ghana	63.8
156	Yemen	63.8
157	Bolivia	63.6
158	Nauru	63.6
159	Congo, (Brazzaville)	63.5
160	Comoros	63.4
161	Haiti	63.2
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better36
Pos.		2016 Per Capita36
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
71	Sri Lanka	4.3
72=	Bahamas	4.4
72=	Ecuador	4.4
74=	Bolivia	4.8
74=	Costa Rica	4.8
74=	Guinea-Bissau	4.8
74=	Myanmar	4.8
74=	Zambia	4.8
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
99	Oman	2.57
100=	Greece	1.43
100=	Portugal	1.43
102	Bolivia	2.58
103	Russia	1.42
104=	Austria	1.41
104=	Norway	1.41
104=	Estonia	1.41
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better35
Pos.		Total %35
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
46	Congo, DR	12.2%
47	New Zealand	12.3%
48	Honduras	12.4%
49	Bolivia	12.4%
50	Qatar	12.5%
51	Sierra Leone	12.9%
52	Morocco	13.0%
53	Australia	13.1%
	The Americas Avg	12.7%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better39
Pos.		2017 Rank39
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
82	Zambia	82
83	Croatia	83
84	Indonesia	84
85	Bolivia	85
86	Kyrgyzstan	86
87	Moldova	87
88	Syria	88
89	Azerbaijan	89
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better38
Pos.		1976 %38
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
89	Vanuatu	27.5
90=	Jamaica	28.0
90=	Dominica	28.0
92	Bolivia	28.1
93=	S. Africa	28.2
93=	Guatemala	28.2
93=	Brazil	28.2
96	Costa Rica	28.6
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better42
Pos.		2022 %42
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
115	Swaziland	27.3%
116	Canada	27.3%
117	Azerbaijan	27.5%
118	Bolivia	27.8%
119	Armenia	27.9%
120	Guyana	28.0%
121	Russia	28.0%
122	Greenland	28.2%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better41
Pos.		2022 Per 100041
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
140	Iraq	61.2
141	Ecuador	62.1
142	Kenya	62.6
143	Bolivia	63.1
144	Namibia	63.1
145	Guatemala	63.2
146	Vanuatu	63.2
147	Dominican Rep.	63.2
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better37
Pos.		2015 Avg %37
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
75	UK	94.6
76	Solomon Islands	94.5
77	Norway	94.3
78	Bolivia	94.2
79=	UAE	94.0
79=	Bangladesh	94.0
79=	Tanzania	94.0
79=	Germany	94.0
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better40
Pos.		Total Per 100040
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
130	Syria	30.62
131	Tajikistan	31.41
132	Bhutan	32.24
133	Bolivia	33.37
134	Guyana	33.43
135	Cambodia	33.56
136	Dominican Rep.	34.90
137	Marshall Islands	35.97
	The Americas Avg	18.99
	World Avg	32.19
q=195.

6. Bolivia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #bolivia #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
	...
14	Dominica	78.5
15	Cuba	79.4
16	Nicaragua	80.5
17	Bolivia	81.8
18	Panama	82.5
19	Honduras	84.6
20	Venezuela	86.1
21	Canada	87.2
22	Guyana	87.4
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
93	Slovakia	80.8
94	Poland	81.0
95	UAE	81.8
96	Bolivia	81.8
97	Slovenia	82.1
98	Panama	82.5
99	Singapore	83.3
100	Georgia	83.6
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₄. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

When it comes to its responsibility towards the environment, Bolivia is positioned 96th in the world. This rank is formulated from 21 data sets. Bolivia comes in the best 20 in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₅. It does better than average in terms of its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. However Bolivia performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average in energy to GDP efficiency₄₆, its environmental performance₄₇, reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₈ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₉.

Environmental Performance Higher is better47
Pos.		201847
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
89	Cape Verde	56.9
90	Mauritius	56.6
91	St Lucia	56.2
92	Bolivia	56.0
93	Barbados	55.8
94	Georgia	55.7
95	Kiribati	55.3
96	Bahrain	55.2
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better46
Pos.		2022 Avg46
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
88	Jordan	1.10
89	Mexico	1.10
90	Taiwan	1.10
91	Bolivia	1.11
92	Chile	1.11
93	Honduras	1.15
94	Slovenia	1.15
95	Brazil	1.16
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
73	Guyana	63%
74	Uganda	62%
75	Singapore	62%
76	Bolivia	62%
77	Guinea	62%
78	Greece	62%
79	Cameroon	62%
80	Philippines	62%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Bolivia was one of the early adopters of the Kyoto Protocol in 1999.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better45
Pos.		2011 %45
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
8	Philippines	70.8%
9	S. Korea	70.7%
10	Colombia	70.3%
11	Bolivia	69.3%
12	Paraguay	68.9%
13	Mexico	67.0%
14	Nicaragua	67.0%
15	El Salvador	66.8%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better48
Pos.		2021 kg48
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
139	Greece	76.8
140	Serbia	77.6
141	Russia	78.4
142	Bolivia	78.4
143	Grenada	78.6
144	Ireland	80.2
145	Kuwait	81.3
146	New Zealand	81.4
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, meat consumption per person in Bolivia (Plurinational State of) was well above the global average (of 49kgs per year), putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.₄₈

7. Bolivia's Modernity and Learning

#bolivia #education #intelligence #metric #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet #yemen

Compared to The Americas (2025)50
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank50
1	Canada	30.9
2	Argentina	34.3
3	Chile	41.0
	...
8	Peru	55.0
9	Costa Rica	55.8
10	Ecuador	57.6
11	Bolivia	60.5
12	Colombia	61.0
13=	Dominican Rep.	65.7
13=	Panama	65.7
15	Venezuela	66.3
16	Suriname	71.1
	The Americas Avg	77.96
q=36.

Modernity & Learning (2025)50
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank50
1	Vatican City	1.0
2	Finland	4.8
3	Belgium	8.5
	...
68	Kyrgyzstan	58.6
69	N. Korea	58.8
70	Armenia	58.9
71	Bolivia	60.5
72	Azerbaijan	60.6
73	Colombia	61.0
74	Tonga	62.0
75	Tunisia	63.4
	World Avg	80.33
q=194.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are The Vatican City, Finland and Belgium₅₁. The worst countries are S. Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia₅₁. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₂.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₃

23 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Intellectual Endeavours, metric system adoption rate, Religiosity, IQ, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Maths, Science & Reading, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₅₁, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₅₁.

For more, see:

• " Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity Datasets:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2954
2	Israel	4.1154
3	Japan	3.5854
	...
95=	Mauritius	0.1855
96=	Oman	0.1756
96=	Kazakhstan	0.1756
98=	Bolivia	0.1657
98=	Kyrgyzstan	0.1658
98=	Sri Lanka	0.1659
101	Albania	0.1560
102	Namibia	0.1459
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better39
Pos.		2017 Rank39
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
156	Tanzania	156
157	Equatorial Guinea	157
158	Guyana	158
159	Afghanistan	159
160	Indonesia	160
161	Bolivia	161
162	Iraq	162
163	Angola	163
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Metric System Adoption Rate Higher is better61
Pos.		2025 %61
1=	Slovakia	100
1=	Poland	100
1=	Portugal	100
	...
49=	Brazil	95
49=	Canada	95
49=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	95
49=	Bolivia	95
49=	Djibouti	95
49=	Turkmenistan	95
49=	Armenia	95
49=	Belarus	95
	The Americas Avg	90
	World Avg	92
q=187.

Bolivia officially adopted metric in 1891₆₂. Progression:

• 1960 (80%): Metric established; traditional units in rural areas.
• 1970 (90%): Commerce/education standardized metric.
• 1980 (95%): Metric dominant across sectors.
• 2000 (95%).
• 2025 (95%).

Religiosity Lower is better63
Pos.		2018 %63
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
56	Panama	61
57	Venezuela	67
58	Turkey	68
59=	Bolivia	71
59=	Botswana	71
61=	Brazil	72
61=	Egypt	72
63=	Algeria	73
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better64
Pos.		200664
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
61=	Ecuador	88
61=	Mexico	88
63=	Brazil	87
63=	Bolivia	87
63=	Iraq	87
63=	Azerbaijan	87
63=	Indonesia	87
63=	Turkmenistan	87
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Education Datasets:

In the 1990s, Bolivia was one of only ten countries to increase its expected duration of education by over 3 years, although it reduced slightly in the 2000s.₆₅

Secondary Education Higher is better66
Pos.		201866
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
93	Mexico	59.7%
94	Bahrain	59.6%
95	Brazil	59.5%
96	Bolivia	58.8%
97	Zimbabwe	58.7%
98	Gabon	57.6%
99	Libya	57.4%
100	Dominican Rep.	56.6%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better67
Pos.		2021 Years67
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
61	Hungary	15.0
62	Mongolia	15.0
63	Ukraine	15.0
64	Bolivia	14.9
65	Mexico	14.9
66	Fiji	14.7
67	St Vincent & Grenadines	14.7
68	Algeria	14.6
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better68
Pos.		201668
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
117=	Mauritius	43%
117=	Cape Verde	43%
119	Suriname	42%
120	Bolivia	41%
121	Peru	41%
122	Guyana	40%
123	Grenada	39%
124	El Salvador	38%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better69
Pos.		2017 Ratio69
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
30	Saudi Arabia	6.8
31	Vietnam	5.9
32	Slovenia	5.4
33	Bolivia	5.0
34	Macau	4.2
35	Singapore	4.0
36	Sweden	3.8
37	Poland	3.6
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better70
Pos.		202470
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
94	Ivory Coast	34.0%
95	Pakistan	33.5%
96	Algeria	33.2%
97	Bolivia	33.1%
98	Botswana	33.1%
99	Benin	32.8%
100	Nigeria	32.7%
101	Iran	32.5%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

Bolivia has notorious problems with mobile internet access speeds, measuring the 2nd-worst of 121 countries (after Yemen)₇₁.

8. Bolivia's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#bolivia #capitalism #charitability #charity #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #internationalism #life_expectancy #morals #nigeria #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

National Culture Datasets:

World Giving Index Higher is better72
Pos.		2022 %72
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
46=	Vietnam	43.0
46=	Iran	43.0
46=	Kosovo	43.0
46=	Bolivia	43.0
46=	Ghana	43.0
51=	Sweden	42.0
51=	Colombia	42.0
51=	China	42.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better73
Pos.		2022 Points73
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
126=	Uzbekistan	31.0
126=	Laos	31.0
126=	Mexico	31.0
126=	Bolivia	31.0
130=	Egypt	30.0
130=	Mauritania	30.0
130=	Togo	30.0
130=	Swaziland	30.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

In 1997, Bolivia sunk to the Corruption Perception Index's 2nd-worst result, after Nigeria.

Happiness Higher is better74
Pos.		2024 Score74
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
71	Montenegro	5.9
72=	Croatia	5.9
72=	Jamaica	5.9
74	Bolivia	5.9
75	Kyrgyzstan	5.9
76	Dominican Rep.	5.8
77	Mongolia	5.8
78	Mauritius	5.8
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better39
Pos.		2017 Rank39
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
95	Belarus	95
96	Mongolia	96
97	Madagascar	97
98	Bolivia	98
99	El Salvador	99
100	Nicaragua	100
101	Russia	101
102	Vietnam	102
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better75
Pos.		Total Q75
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
108	Saudi Arabia	82.3
109	Taiwan	80.8
110	Thailand	79.5
111	Bolivia	79.3
112	Namibia	78.7
113	Belarus	78.5
114	Suriname	77.8
115	Lesotho	77.5
	The Americas Avg	132.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better39
Pos.		2017 Rank39
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
103	Madagascar	103
104	Dominica	104
105	Iceland	105
106	Bolivia	106
107	Ghana	107
108	Mexico	108
109	Thailand	109
110	Ecuador	110
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Global Peace Index Lower is better76
Pos.		2023 Score76
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
75	UAE	1.98
76	Kazakhstan	1.98
77	Jamaica	1.99
78	Bolivia	2.00
79	Nepal	2.01
80	China	2.01
81	Tunisia	2.01
82	Equatorial Guinea	2.01
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better39
Pos.		2017 Rank39
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
42	Azerbaijan	42
43	Senegal	43
44	Switzerland	44
45	Bolivia	45
46	Burkina Faso	46
47	Philippines	47
48	UK	48
49	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	49
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better39
Pos.		2017 Rank39
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
43	Hungary	43
44	Kenya	44
45	Serbia	45
46	Bolivia	46
47	Japan	47
48	Czechia	48
49	Argentina	49
50	Brazil	50
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better77
Pos.		2019 Score77
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
90	Bahrain	3.20
91	Tanzania	3.27
92	Spain	3.35
93	Bolivia	3.39
94	Algeria	3.41
95	Sweden	3.45
96	Sri Lanka	3.57
97	Canada	3.59
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Poverty (2020s) Lower is better78
Pos.		Total %78
1	Malaysia	0.01%
2	Bhutan	0.01%
3	Cyprus	0.02%
	...
61	Paraguay	2.43%
62	Nepal	2.44%
63	Mexico	3.29%
64	Bolivia	3.35%
65	Panama	3.39%
66	Iran	3.41%
67	Uzbekistan	3.89%
68	Brazil	4.73%
	The Americas Avg	4.07%
	World Avg	11.40%
q=106.

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better79
Pos.		201979
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
135	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	21.70
136	Namibia	22.10
137=	Kenya	22.50
137=	Bolivia	22.50
139	Laos	22.60
140=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	22.80
140=	Myanmar	22.80
140=	Gabon	22.80
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better80
Pos.		2023 %80
1	Slovakia	24.1%81
2	Slovenia	24.3%81
3	Belarus	24.4%82
	...
124=	Sao Tome & Principe	40.7%83
124=	Philippines	40.7%81
124=	Malaysia	40.7%81
127	Bolivia	40.9%81
128	Haiti	41.1%84
129	USA	41.3%85
130	Djibouti	41.6%83
131	Papua New Guinea	41.9%86
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better87
Pos.		2018 Severity87
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
47	Morocco	.085
48	Honduras	.090
49	Sao Tome & Principe	.092
50	Bolivia	.094
51	Laos	.108
52	Congo, (Brazzaville)	.112
53	India	.123
54	Guatemala	.134
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #bolivia #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)63
Pos.		Lower is better %63
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
56	Panama	61
57	Venezuela	67
58	Turkey	68
59=	Bolivia	71
59=	Botswana	71
61=	Brazil	72
61=	Egypt	72
63=	Algeria	73
63=	Peru	73
65	S. Africa	75
66=	Ecuador	76
66=	Costa Rica	76
68=	Puerto Rico	77
68=	Malaysia	77
68=	Colombia	77
71=	Dominican Rep.	78
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)88
Pos.		Higher is better %88
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
72=	Indonesia	2
73=	Paraguay	1
73=	Nicaragua	1
73=	Bolivia	1
73=	Colombia	1
73=	Costa Rica	1
73=	Honduras	1
73=	Brazil	1
73=	Ecuador	1
73=	S. Africa	1
73=	Venezuela	1
73=	Peru	1
73=	Guatemala	1
73=	El Salvador	1
73=	Panama	1
87=	Somalia	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₈₉:

	2010	2020
Christian	95.7%	88.9%
Unaffiliated	3.99%	9.55%
Other	0.242%	1.49%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Muslim	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	<0.1%	<0.1%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 90.5% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 71% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%₉₀.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Although in 2009 Bolivia's new Constitution declared the state to be secular - free from official endorsement of any particular religion - the Catholic Church nevertheless still influences a lot of influence over Bolivian politics, working hard to undermine equality and non-discrimination laws₃₁.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?
• Human Rights and Freedom in Bolivia: 4.3. Freedom of Thought