Bolivia vs Paraguay
Bolivia is 2.7 times larger than Paraguay. Paraguay would fit into Bolivia about 2.7 times.
BoliviaParaguayBolivia moved onto Paraguay · Equal-area projection
2.7×
Bolivia is 2.7× the area of Paraguay.
 Bolivia |  Paraguay | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBolivia: 2.7× the area | 1,098,581 km²#27 of 194 | 406,756 km²#59 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBolivia: 1.79× the population | 12,581,843#79 of 194 · 2025 | 7,013,078#107 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityParaguay: 1.51× the density | 11 / km²#180 of 194 | 17 / km²#173 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 72%#66 of 192 · 2025 | 70%#73 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBolivia: 1.04× the births per woman | 2.52 per woman#72 of 192 · 2024 | 2.42 per woman#76 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBolivia: 0.15 points higher | +1.35%#73 of 192 · 2025 | +1.20%#84 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBolivia: 1.07× the birth rate | 21.0 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 19.7 per 1,000#74 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBolivia: 1.26× the death rate | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Bolivia: 1.0 points higher | 29.4%#72 of 192 · 2025 | 28.4%#76 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Paraguay: 1.0 points higher | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 6.7%#105 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBolivia: 1.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBolivia: 3.0× the refugees for its size | 0.06 per 1,000#129 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyParaguay: 5.3 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 74.0 years#94 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 14.2 per 1,000 births#88 of 191 · 2024 | 14.5 per 1,000 births#86 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsParaguay: 3.04× the doctors per person | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2021 | 3.89 per 1,000#33 of 178 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexParaguay: 0.023 higher | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 | 0.756#98 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaParaguay: 1.53× the income per person | $4,420#119 of 185 · 2025 | $6,750#98 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBolivia: 1.31× the economy | $64.77B2025 | $49.28B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Paraguay: 1.57× the output per person | $12,873#116 of 184 · 2025 | $20,181#93 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthParaguay: 8.2 points higher | −1.6%#181 of 187 · 2025 | +6.6%#22 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBolivia: 15.5 points higher | +19.5%#12 of 176 · 2025 | +4.0%#55 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentParaguay: 1.6× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 4.8%#99 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 2.1%#73 of 149 · 2024 | 2.1%#73 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Paraguay: 3.3 higher | 40.9#32 of 149 · 2024 | 44.2#18 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureBolivia: 8.7 points higher | 24.7% of jobs#74 of 178 · 2025 | 16.0% of jobs#89 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBolivia: 0.8 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#82 of 178 · 2025 | 19.0% of jobs#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesParaguay: 9.6 points higher | 55.5% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 65.1% of jobs#71 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentParaguay: 1.6 points higher | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#78 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsParaguay: 15.8 points higher | 21.4% of GDP#129 of 168 · 2024 | 37.2% of GDP#79 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBolivia: 1.38× the military spending | 1.2% of GDP#103 of 155 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#123 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 80%#99 of 184 · 2024 | 82%#94 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsParaguay: 1.3× the mobile subscriptions | 98 per 100#131 of 191 · 2024 | 127 per 100#59 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBolivia: 1.38× the forest share | 50% of land#49 of 192 · 2024 | 37% of land#78 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBolivia: 1.97× the CO₂ per person | 2.29 t a year#98 of 185 · 2024 | 1.16 t a year#124 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyParaguay: 46.0 points higher | 12.8%#127 of 190 · 2021 | 58.8%#38 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityParaguay: 3.2 points higher | 96.6%#123 of 192 · 2024 | 99.8%#103 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bolivia: 1.84× the air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 15.3 µg/m³#114 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBolivia: 16.0 points higher | 30.9% of land#30 of 191 · 2025 | 14.9% of land#117 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landParaguay: 5.9 points higher | 5.6% of land#125 of 190 · 2024 | 11.5% of land#87 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressParaguay: 9.0× the water stress | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 | 1.8%#151 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 1,146 mm#81 of 180 · 2022 | 1,130 mm#82 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityParaguay: 0.30 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | +0.14#92 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionParaguay: 0.18 higher | −1.19#165 of 193 · 2025 | −1.01#156 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateParaguay: 1.55× the homicide rate | 4.4 per 100,000#53 of 146 · 2023 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | La Paz | Asuncion |
| Currency | Boliviano (BOB) | Paraguayan guaraní (PYG) |
| Official languages | Spanish, Quechua, Guarani, Aymara | Spanish, Guarani |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC−3 |
| Calling code | +591 | +595 |
| Region | South America | South America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bolivia sits at about 17° S and is stretched to 1.09× its true area; Paraguay at 23° S is stretched to 1.18×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bolivia bigger than Paraguay?
- Yes. Bolivia is 2.7 times larger than Paraguay. Bolivia covers 1,098,581 km² and Paraguay covers 406,756 km².
- How many times does Paraguay fit into Bolivia?
- About 2.7 times: Bolivia has 2.7× the area of Paraguay.
- Why do Bolivia and Paraguay look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bolivia is drawn about 1.09× its true area there and Paraguay about 1.18×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bolivia or Paraguay?
- Bolivia: 12,581,843 people against 7,013,078. Density: Bolivia 11 per km², Paraguay 17 per km².
- Which is richer, Bolivia or Paraguay?
- By gross national income per person, Paraguay: $6,750 against $4,420 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.53× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bolivia or Paraguay?
- In Paraguay: life expectancy at birth is 74.0 years, against 68.7 — 5.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bolivia and Paraguay have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).