Bolivia: Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 5.4 percentage points from 39.3% in 2020. Since 2016 it is up 1.4 percentage points from 43.3% in 2016.

What the numbers say

In 2025, Bolivia's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) rose 6.6 percentage points on 2024 (from 38.1% to 44.7%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2017 to 2024), the average change was −0.65 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.77 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.6 percentage points in 2025 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.8 percentage points in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 6% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Bolivia in the 2025 ranking

• Argentina — 2nd of 8: 28.2%
• Peru — 3rd of 8: 25.7%
• Ecuador — 4th of 8: 21.4%

What this measures

National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a population-weighted average.

All 10 values

Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 28.2% (2025)
• Chile — 6.5% (2022)
• Colombia — 31.8% (2024)
• Costa Rica — 17.1% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 17.3% (2025)
• Ecuador — 21.4% (2025)
• Jamaica — 7.8% (2024)
• Panama — 21.7% (2023)
• Peru

More poverty data for Bolivia

• Income share held by second 20% — 10.4% (2024)
• Income share held by third 20% — 15.2% (2024)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.2% (2024)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 46.7% (2024)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 30.6% (2024)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 1.9% (2024)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 5.4% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 2.1% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 0.6% (2024)
• Gini index — 40.9 (2024)

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Questions people ask

What is Bolivia's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)?

44.7% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2016?

It is up 1.4 percentage points from 43.3% in 2016. The highest value was 44.7% in 2025 and the lowest 36.6% in 2021.

Is the latest change in poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) unusual for Bolivia?

In 2025, Bolivia's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) rose 6.6 percentage points on 2024 (from 38.1% to 44.7%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2017 to 2024), the average change was −0.65 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.77 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.POV.NAHC, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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