Government spending as share of GDP in Bolivia
Bolivia: Government spending as share of GDP was 39.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Government spending as share of GDP in Bolivia, 1950–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Bolivia recorded 39.8% for government spending as share of gdp in 2024.
That represents a change of up 3.0% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Bolivia peaked at 44.5% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1955.
That places Bolivia 43rd out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government spending as share of GDP in Bolivia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.1% | — |
| 1951 | 4.6% | -9.6% |
| 1952 | 3.9% | -15.6% |
| 1953 | 2.8% | -29.7% |
| 1954 | 2.4% | -13.8% |
| 1955 | 1.7% | -27.0% |
| 1956 | 2.8% | +61.2% |
| 1957 | 9.2% | +230.2% |
| 1958 | 9.8% | +6.8% |
| 1959 | 11.7% | +19.1% |
| 1960 | 10.1% | -13.6% |
| 1961 | 10.7% | +5.3% |
| 1962 | 10.2% | -4.3% |
| 1963 | 10.8% | +5.7% |
| 1964 | 10.8% | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 12.9% | +19.2% |
| 1966 | 12.9% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 13.1% | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 14.1% | +7.8% |
| 1969 | 12.3% | -12.8% |
| 1970 | 10.0% | -18.5% |
| 1971 | 11.3% | +12.2% |
| 1972 | 11.8% | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 14.1% | +19.0% |
| 1974 | 14.2% | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 14.4% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 16.8% | +16.7% |
| 1977 | 18.6% | +11.0% |
| 1978 | 17.3% | -7.0% |
| 1979 | 18.0% | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 19.8% | +9.9% |
| 1981 | 16.6% | -16.0% |
| 1982 | 25.0% | +50.4% |
| 1983 | 32.1% | +28.4% |
| 1984 | 29.0% | -9.5% |
| 1985 | 21.8% | -25.0% |
| 1986 | 22.2% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 24.4% | +9.8% |
| 1988 | 24.0% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 24.4% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 22.8% | -6.7% |
| 1991 | 24.2% | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 25.3% | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 27.2% | +7.6% |
| 1994 | 26.8% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 25.8% | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 26.0% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 28.3% | +8.6% |
| 1998 | 30.0% | +6.0% |
| 1999 | 29.4% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 29.3% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 32.0% | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 33.3% | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 32.0% | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 32.3% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 33.2% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 29.8% | -10.1% |
| 2007 | 32.7% | +9.4% |
| 2008 | 35.3% | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 33.2% | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 31.5% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 35.4% | +12.2% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 35.4% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 41.2% | +16.4% |
| 2015 | 44.5% | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 40.0% | -10.2% |
| 2017 | 38.6% | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 37.7% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 36.1% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 36.8% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 34.8% | -5.5% |
| 2022 | 36.0% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 38.7% | +7.5% |
| 2024 | 39.8% | +3.0% |
Bolivia compared with similar countries
- Bolivia's 39.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.3%, 1.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Bolivia's 39.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 27.1%, 1.5× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending as share of GDP in Bolivia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | +230.2% | 2.8% | 9.2% |
| 1956 | +61.2% | 1.7% | 2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.4% | 1.7% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 11.8% | 10.1% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.7% | 10.0% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.9% | 16.6% | 32.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.6% | 22.8% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.3% | 29.3% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.7% | 31.5% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.2% | 34.8% | 39.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bolivia
More economy & growth data for Bolivia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.9744 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.3 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 156.49 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0024 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 12.44 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 620.35 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 73.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0096 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 49.3 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -70.67 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Bolivia?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Bolivia was 39.8% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Bolivia?
- The highest recorded value was 44.5% in 2015.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Bolivia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1955.
- How does Bolivia rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Bolivia ranks 43rd out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Bolivia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bolivia data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.