This article is about the demographic

Demographics

Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...

 features of the population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

, including population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

, ethnicity

Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...

, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Since Bolivia was created as a state on its own in 1825 it has been a multiethnical society, which means that it is home to people of a lot of different ethnical backgrounds. As a result, the local Bolivians tend to treat their nationality as a citizenship instead of an ethnicity. The largest of the approximately three dozen indigenous Amerindian groups are the Aymaras, Quechuas

Quechuas

Quechuas is the collective term for several indigenous ethnic groups in South America who speak a Quechua language , belonging to several ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Argentina.The Quechuas of Ecuador call themselves as well as their...

, Chiquitanos

Chiquitano people

The Chiquitano are a native ethnic group living primarily in the Chiquitanía tropical savanna of Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, with a small number also living in Beni Department and in Brazil. In the 2001 census, self-identified Chiquitanos made up 3.6% of the total Bolivian population or 181,894...

, Guaraní (Chiriguanos, Guarayos), and Mojeños. The majority of white Bolivians are of Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 descent, including Basque

Basque people

The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...

 origin, but there are small German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 (including Mennonite

Mennonites in Bolivia

As of 2010, there are close to 60,000 conservative Russian Mennonites living in Bolivia. In addition to this there are a number of native Bolivians who have converted to Mennonitism...

), Croats, Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

n (notably Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese Okinawans relocated there after expropriation of farmland by the U.S. military after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 http://www.jpri.org/publications/critiques/critique_XI_4.html), Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

ern, and other minorities (Afro Bolivian

Afro Bolivian

Afro Bolivians are Bolivians of African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Bolivia thought to emanate from this community. The term can refer to the combining of African and other cultural elements found in Bolivian society such as religion, music, language, the arts, and class...

), many of whose members descend from families that have lived in Bolivia for several generations.

Bolivia is one of the least-developed countries in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. About two-thirds of its people, many of whom are subsistence farmers, live in poverty

Poverty

Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...

. Population density ranges from less than one person per square kilometer in the southeastern plains to about 10/km² (25/mi²) in the central highlands. As of 2006, population is increasing 1.45% per year. Increasing numbers of Bolivians migrated to highly prosperous Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 , Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 and Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, and even to developed countries in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 (primarily the UK

Bolivians in the United Kingdom

Bolivians in the United Kingdom form a fairly small group, with 1,143 Bolivian-born people living in the UK according to the 2001 Census. However, recent estimates suggest that as many as 15,000-25,000 Bolivians now call the UK home.-Settlement:...

 and Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

) and North America (esp. tens of thousands went to Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 and the United States

Bolivian American

Bolivian American is a compound term that applies to American citizens of Bolivian origin. Racially, Bolivian Americans are identified as Indigenous, European , Afro Bolivian, or a combination of any or all three races in varying degrees of admixture...

) in search of economic opportunities.

La Paz is at the highest elevation of the world's capital cities—3,600 meters (11,800 ft) above sea level. The adjacent city of El Alto

El Alto

At one time merely a suburb of adjacent La Paz, Bolivia, on the Altiplano highlands, the city of El Alto is today one of Bolivia's largest and fastest-growing urban centers. As of the 2001 census, the population was 649,958. In 2010, the population may be nearly 900,000, or more. The city contains...

, at 4,200 meters above sea level, is one of the fastest-growing in the hemisphere. Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...

, the commercial and industrial hub of the eastern lowlands, also is experiencing rapid population and economic growth.

The great majority of Bolivians are Roman Catholic, although Protestant denominations are expanding strongly. Many indigenous communities interweave pre-Columbian (pre-Hispanic) and Catholic Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 symbols in their religious practices. About half of the people speak Spanish as their first language. Approximately 90% of the children attend primary school but often for a year or less. The literacy rate is low in many rural areas.

Ethnic groups

In Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

, a 62% majority of residents over the age of 15 self-identify as belonging to an indigenous people, while another 3.7% grew up with an indigenous mother tongue yet do not self-identify as indigenous. Including both of these categories, and children under 15, some 66.4% of Bolivia's population was registered as indigenous in the 2001 Census. The largest indigenous ethnic groups are: Quechua

Quechuas

Quechuas is the collective term for several indigenous ethnic groups in South America who speak a Quechua language , belonging to several ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Argentina.The Quechuas of Ecuador call themselves as well as their...

, about 2.5 million people; Aymara, 2.0 million; Chiquitano

Chiquitano people

The Chiquitano are a native ethnic group living primarily in the Chiquitanía tropical savanna of Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, with a small number also living in Beni Department and in Brazil. In the 2001 census, self-identified Chiquitanos made up 3.6% of the total Bolivian population or 181,894...

, 181 thousand; Guaraní, 126 thousand; and Mojeño, 69 thousand. Some 124 thousand pertain to smaller indigenous groups.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
10,118,683

Age structure

0-14 years: 34.6% (male 1,785,453/female 1,719,173)

15-64 years: 60.7% (male 3,014,419/female 3,129,942)

65 years and over: 4.6% (male 207,792/female 261,904) (2011 est.)

Median age

Total: 22.5 years

Male: 21.8 years

Female: 23.2 years (2011 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female

Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate

Total: 42.16 deaths/1,000 live births

Male: 45.95 deaths/1,000 live births

Female: 38.18 deaths/1,000 live births [2011 est.]

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 67.57 years

Male: 64.84 years

Female: 70.42 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.00 children born/woman (2011 est.)

2.85 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2009 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2009 est.)

Deaths: less than 1000 (2009 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Bolivian(s)

Adjective: Bolivian

Ethnic groups

Amerindian 55% (Quechua 30% & Aymara 25%) , mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white ancestry) 30%, white 15%, other race 1% of African

Afro Bolivian

Afro Bolivians are Bolivians of African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Bolivia thought to emanate from this community. The term can refer to the combining of African and other cultural elements found in Bolivian society such as religion, music, language, the arts, and class...

 and Asian racial origins.

Religions

Roman Catholic 51%, Protestant 16%, other Christian 30%, non-religious 2.5%, other (Islam, the Baha'i Faith, Judaism, Buddhism, Shinto etc.) 0.2%.

Languages

The official languages of Bolivia

Languages of Bolivia

The languages of Bolivia include Spanish, at least 30 indigenous languages, most prominently Quechua, Aymara, and Tupi Guaraní, and other languages such as Plautdietsch spoken by descendants of immigrants. All of the indigenous languages and Spanish are official languages of the state according to...

 are Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, Quechua, Aymara

Aymara language

Aymara is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over three million speakers. Aymara, along with Quechua and Spanish, is an official language of Peru and Bolivia...

, and Guaraní

Guaraní language

Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...

, plus other 33 native languages.

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 87.2%

Male: 93.1%

Female: 81.6% (2003 est.)