Share of population living in urban areas in Bolivia

Bolivia: Share of population living in urban areas was 71.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
71.2%
World rank
138th
of 236 countries
All-time high
71.2%
in 2020
All-time low
36.7%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Bolivia, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 36.7 %1955: 38.4 %1960: 40.7 %1965: 43.2 %1970: 45.9 %1975: 48.8 %1980: 51.5 %1985: 54.2 %1990: 57.1 %1995: 60.8 %2000: 64.3 %2005: 66.5 %2010: 67.8 %2015: 69.3 %2020: 71.2 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Bolivia stood at 71.2%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Bolivia peaked at 71.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 36.7%, in 1950.

That places Bolivia 138th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 37.6% 36.7% 38.4% 2
1960s 41.9% 40.7% 43.2% 2
1970s 47.4% 45.9% 48.8% 2
1980s 52.9% 51.5% 54.2% 2
1990s 59.0% 57.1% 60.8% 2
2000s 65.4% 64.3% 66.5% 2
2010s 68.5% 67.8% 69.3% 2
2020s 71.2% 71.2% 71.2% 1

Countries ranked near Bolivia

  1. 136 Togo 71.3% compare
  2. 137 Tunisia 71.3% compare
  3. 139 Suriname 70.8% compare
  4. 140 North Macedonia 70.5% compare
  5. 141 Portugal 70.5% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Bolivia

All data for Bolivia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Bolivia?
Share of population living in urban areas in Bolivia was 71.2% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Bolivia?
The highest recorded value was 71.2% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Bolivia?
The lowest recorded value was 36.7% in 1950.
How does Bolivia rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Bolivia ranks 138th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Bolivia?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Bolivia data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.