Bolivia Company & Beneficial Ownership Directory

Analysis

What this data actually tells you about Bolivia

Bolivia is in the midst of its most severe economic crisis in decades, and its statistics reflect an economy in active transition rather than a stable baseline. GDP contracted an estimated 1.58% in 2025, its first full-year contraction in roughly four decades, with the IMF projecting -3.3% for 2026, South America’s worst forecast, and the World Bank projecting -3.2% and flagging risk of the recession extending into 2027; these figures directly supersede an earlier IMF Article IV projection (May 2025) of +1.1%/+0.9% growth, which should not be presented as current. GDP per capita was estimated at roughly $5,107 in 2025 (a single secondary source, treated as indicative). Inflation is surging: the IMF’s 2026 projection runs around 20.7%, though a separately reported H1 2026 figure of 4.82% likely reflects a different, non-annualized measurement basis and should not be blended with the annualized figure. On June 26, 2026, Bolivia abandoned its fixed exchange rate of 6.96 BOB/USD, in place since November 2011, and floated the boliviano; the rate opened near 9.73 BOB/USD and had weakened further to roughly 11.53-12.64 BOB/USD by early-to-mid September 2026, a rapid, ongoing depreciation. Public debt stands at approximately 95% of GDP in total (external debt roughly 27% of GDP), with a fiscal deficit of -12.7% of GDP in 2025 projected to worsen to -13.2% in 2026.

Bolivia’s traditional export engine, natural gas, has collapsed: export revenue fell from over $6.0 billion in 2014 to just $1.1 billion in 2025, an approximately 82% decline, as liquid hydrocarbon production fell 62% and natural gas output fell 54% over 2014-2025 on mature-field depletion and a lack of exploration investment; exports to Brazil and Argentina are projected by Wood Mackenzie to cease by 2030. Mining has stepped into that gap as the dominant export sector, supplying 69.6% of export earnings in H1 2026 on a price-driven 91% jump in export value, led by gold and silver, even as shipped volumes fell 12%. Lithium at the Salar de Uyuni remains a potential-not-actual story: framework deals worth roughly $1.4 billion with Russian and Chinese partners remain stuck in legislative approval and a 2025 court suspension over environmental and consultation concerns. A December 2025 presidential decree ended long-standing fuel subsidies, sharply raising prices and triggering recurring shortages and diesel rationing; a partial state-monopoly break in July 2026 allowed private fuel importation. On August 31, 2026, President Rodrigo Paz announced a $1.9 billion, 36-month IMF Extended Fund Facility program, reportedly unlocking a further $4.5 billion from other international bodies and targeting a 3.8%-of-GDP fiscal deficit by 2028 via measures including a 30% cut to the public-sector wage bill; as of mid-September 2026 the IMF’s Executive Board had not yet formally approved the program and the enabling legislation remained pending in Bolivia’s Congress.

Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia’s presidential election on October 19, 2025, ending nearly 20 years of MAS (Movimiento al Socialismo) party dominance, and was sworn in November 8, 2025 promising “capitalism for all.” His subsidy-cutting reform agenda triggered mass unrest: April-June 2026 road blockades backed by unions, farmers and MAS/Evo Morales supporters lasted roughly 40-50 days, with industry groups estimating over $2.3 billion in losses, prompting Paz to declare a state of emergency on June 20, 2026. A fresh diesel-subsidy decree (Supreme Decree 5676, late August 2026) triggered renewed agricultural-producer blockades in September 2026; Bolivia’s cabinet extended the state of exception by 90 more days on September 14, 2026, and on September 15, 2026 the presidential spokesman warned a stronger “state of siege” could follow if blockades resumed. A Santa Cruz moto-taxi blockade was called off after talks, but organizers described it as a temporary recess rather than a resolution, with October 10, 2026 set as their next checkpoint, and Reuters reported Paz’s governing coalition fracturing over the reform push as of August 11, 2026, only nine months into his term. Population stood at approximately 12.4 million (2024); poverty was 36.5% (2023) on the national line, while more than 80% of the workforce works informally, a more meaningful labor-market indicator than the official 1.80% unemployment rate (December 2025), which reflects a narrow formal-sector definition. This content presents Bolivia’s political and economic situation factually and with explicit dates throughout, and counterparties should verify current status directly given how rapidly this continues to develop.