# Bolivia and Peru compared

Bolivia and Peru side by side: 41 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 5 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/bol-vs-per
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Bolivia: 6 August 1825 — Bolivia declares its independence from Spain
- Peru: 28 July 1821 — San Martín proclaims Peruvian independence in the Plaza Mayor

## Economy

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $55 B | 2024 | $289 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $4,421 | 2024 | $8,452 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | -1.1% | 2024 | 3.3% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 5.1% | 2024 | 2.0% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 47.0% | 2024 | 51.5% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12 m | 2024 | 34 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 68.7 yrs | 2024 | 77.9 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 71.2% | 2024 | 85.2% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 2.5 | 2024 | 2.0 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 49.2 | 2024 | 57.6 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 56.6 | 2024 | 54.7 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 39.5 | 2024 | 47.4 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 35.1 | 2024 | 56.2 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 35.1 | 2024 | 48.3 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 27.7 | 2024 | 33.3 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 6.9% | 2023 | 5.6% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 1.28 | 2021 | 1.69 | 2023 |
| Under-5 mortality | 15.7 | 2024 | 12.9 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 67.0% | 2024 | 89.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | — | — | 49.4% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 96.7% | 2024 | 93.7% | 2024 |
| Education spending | 7.5% | 2024 | 4.4% | 2024 |
| Primary enrolment | 93.7% | 2024 | 112.8% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 90.5% | 2024 | 108.3% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | — | — | 71.2% | 2017 |

## Technology

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.2% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 63 | 2021 | — | — |
| Internet users | 79.7% | 2024 | 82.0% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 98 | 2024 | 125 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 8.8% | 2024 | 5.2% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 1,083,300 km² | 2023 | 1,280,000 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 46.3% | 2023 | 56.1% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 35.8% | 2023 | 19.1% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 2.3 | 2024 | 2.0 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 12.8% | 2021 | 30.6% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 9.5% | 2021 | 12.7% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 1.3% | 2021 | 0.2% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 5.9% | 2021 | 12.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.4% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 99.8% | 2023 | 96.2% | 2023 |
| Zinc (mined) | 500 kt | 2025 | 1.5 Mt | 2025 |
| Copper (mined) | — | — | 2.7 Mt | 2025 |
| Iron ore | — | — | 21 Mt | 2025 |
| Gold (mined) | — | — | 110 t | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | — | — | 4.8 Mt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Bolivia | Observed | Peru | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.4% | 2024 | 0.9% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $655 M | 2024 | $2.6 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 71,000 | 2020 | 158,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/BOL.md and https://terralore.co/country/PER.md.

## Entangled histories (5 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1538-1559: **Spanish conquest of Charcas** — Spanish forces subdue the highlands of Upper Peru, organising them as the Audiencia of Charcas within the Viceroyalty of Peru. (from the Bolivia chronicle; sources: Bolivia: Early period; Bolivia: A Country Study)
- 1809 CE: **Uprisings at Chuquisaca and La Paz** — Revolts in Upper Peru in 1809, sparked by the Spanish crisis under Napoleon, are remembered among the first independence movements in the Americas. (from the Bolivia chronicle; sources: Bolivia: Early period; Bolivia: A Country Study)
- 6 Aug 1825: **Republic of Bolivia proclaimed** — A congress at Chuquisaca declares the independence of Upper Peru as a republic named Bolivia in honour of Simon Bolivar, with Sucre soon its first president. (from the Bolivia chronicle; sources: Simon Bolivar: Bolivia; Antonio Jose de Sucre)
- 1879-1883: **War of the Pacific** — Chile defeats Bolivia and its ally Peru and annexes Bolivia's coast; Bolivia loses its Pacific province of Antofagasta and becomes landlocked. (from the Bolivia chronicle; sources: War of the Pacific; Bolivia: A Country Study)
- 1879-1883: **War of the Pacific** — Allied with Bolivia, Peru fights Chile over the nitrate-rich Atacama; Chilean forces occupy Lima in 1881 and Peru is defeated. (from the Peru chronicle; sources: War of the Pacific; Peru: History)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/BOL/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/PER/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Bolivia and Peru compared", terralore.co/compare/bol-vs-per, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.