Oruro: population, poverty, health, education, basic services and economic output
Oruro is a department of Bolivia, number 6 of 9 by population. The 2024 census counted 571,471 people in Oruro, 5.0% of Bolivia's 11,365,333; it ranks 4th smallest of 9 departments by population.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Oruro: Oruro's GDP at market prices was 16.7 billion bolivianos in 2024 (preliminary), 5.2% of Bolivia's total and 3rd lowest of 9 departments.
- Health in Oruro: 83.6% of people in Oruro had health coverage (the Unified Health System or an insurance fund) in the 2024 census, above the national figure of 79.1% (5th highest of 9 departments).
- Education in Oruro: The literacy rate for people aged 15 and over in Oruro was 97.1% in the 2024 census, up from 96.0% in 2012 and above the national figure of 95.9% (3rd highest of 9 departments).
- Poverty and living standards in Oruro: 33.1% of the population of Oruro was poor by the unmet basic needs (NBI) measure in the 2024 census, down from 47.0% in 2012 and above the national figure of 29.8% (5th highest of 9 departments).
Is the population of Oruro growing?
Oruro's population changed by +15.5% between the 2012 census (494,587) and the 2024 census (571,471), against +13.0% for Bolivia; its annual intercensal growth rate was 1.27% (4th highest of 9 departments).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia · saved copyHow urban is Oruro?
62.8% of people in Oruro lived in urban areas at the 2024 census, below the national figure of 69.0% (4th lowest of 9 departments).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia · saved copyWhat is the median age in Oruro?
The median age in Oruro was 28 years in 2024, up from 24 years in 2012 and above the national figure of 27 years.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia · saved copyHow old is the population of Oruro?
Oruro had 30.0 people aged 65 or over for every 100 children under 15 in 2024, up from 21.7 in 2012 (Bolivia: 27.5); this is 4th lowest of 9 departments.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia · saved copyWhat is the dependency ratio in Oruro?
The demographic dependency ratio in Oruro was 52.3 children and older people per 100 people aged 15 to 64 in 2024, down from 59.8 in 2012 and equal to the national figure of 52.3.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia · saved copyHow many men and women live in Oruro?
The 2024 census recorded 98.0 men for every 100 women in Oruro, against 100.0 nationally.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Bolivia · saved copyHow departments are governed in Bolivia
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.
Every tier of government in Bolivia
Other departments of Bolivia
- Santa Cruz 3,122,605
- La Paz 3,030,917
- Cochabamba 2,016,357
- Potosi 861,292
- Chuquisaca 606,027
- Tarija 534,210
- Beni 488,260
- Pando 134,194
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Sources
- 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: 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…)
- 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 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 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 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…)
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