Departments of Bolivia: population and official figures
Bolivia is divided into 9 departments. The largest by population is Santa Cruz with 3,122,605 people (27.5% of the total); the smallest is Pando with 134,194. The official sources are Bolivia's Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE): the 2024 Census of Population and Housing tables for population, unmet basic needs (NBI) poverty, health, education and basic services, and INE's departmental GDP series.
Who governs Bolivia's departments?
Departments (9): Governor and departmental assembly directly elected for five years; some assembly seats chosen by Indigenous peoples by their own procedures. Regional roads, rural electrification, departmental health and development planning.
How local power works in Bolivia · Level 5: devolved and state governments worldwide
All 9 departments, largest first
| # | Department | Population | Year | Growth (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Cruz | 3,122,605 | 2024 | – |
| 2 | La Paz | 3,030,917 | 2024 | – |
| 3 | Cochabamba | 2,016,357 | 2024 | – |
| 4 | Potosi | 861,292 | 2024 | – |
| 5 | Chuquisaca | 606,027 | 2024 | – |
| 6 | Oruro | 571,471 | 2024 | – |
| 7 | Tarija | 534,210 | 2024 | – |
| 8 | Beni | 488,260 | 2024 | – |
| 9 | Pando | 134,194 | 2024 | – |
Cities: the largest cities of Bolivia.
More on Bolivia: official statistics · government and power · local power
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia: Censo de Poblacion y Vivienda 2024, tabulados de Poblacion: population and demographic indicators by department (cuadros 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 14), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8fb22232a3f1…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia: Censo 2024, tabulados de Necesidades Basicas Insatisfechas (NBI): population by poverty condition and NBI components, censuses 2012 and 2024 (cuadros 1 and 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 01b9098442d8…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia: Censo 2024, tabulados de Salud: health insurance and coverage, fertility and skilled birth attendance (cuadros 4, 5, 6 and 8), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7ef0ac4dd55f…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia: Censo 2024, tabulados de Educacion: literacy, school attendance, level of instruction and years of study (cuadros 1 to 4), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 40d32703b5ac…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia: Censo 2024, tabulados de Servicios Basicos: electricity, water, sanitation, sewerage and cooking fuel (cuadros 2, 7, 9, 11 and 12), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c548d62d0f85…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia: Producto Interno Bruto departamental, cuadro 10.01.03: GDP at market prices by department, 1988-2024 (thousand bolivianos, current prices, preliminary), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 68b31a29c033…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia: Producto Interno Bruto departamental, cuadro 10.01.02: real growth of GDP by department, 1989-2024 (percent, preliminary), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c45ef998a97…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia: Producto Interno Bruto departamental, cuadro 10.01.06: GDP per capita at market prices by department, 1988-2023 (bolivianos, preliminary), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 49fb77f4053c…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.