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People
Cultural Demography
Bolivia's total population is about 11 million. Population density ranges from less than one person per square kilometer in the southeastern plains to about 10 per square kilometer (25 per square mile) in the central highlands.
Bolivia's population is composed of approximately 55 percent indigenous peoples (Quechua and Aymara), 25 to 30 percent mixed peoples or mestizosand five to 15 percent Europeans and Asians. There are approximately 36 indigenous groups and the largest are the Quechua, Aymara and Guarani. Of the European and Asian population, there are small German, former Yugoslav, Asian, Middle Eastern and other minorities, many of whose members descend from families that have lived in Bolivia for several generations.
The majority of Bolivians are Roman Catholic (the official religion), although Protestant denominations (e.g. Evangelical Methodist) are expanding greatly. Many indigenous communities interweave pre-Columbian and Christian symbols in their religious practices.
There are three official languages in Bolivia: Spanish, Quechua and Aymara. About half of the people speak Spanish as their first language.
Cultural Legacy
Bolivia is rich in folklore. At the annual carnival of Oruro, one of the great folkloric events of South America, and in the lesser-known carnival of Tarabuco, there are ceremonies in which the devil dances. Bolivia's regional folk music is distinctive and varied. Indeed, an important body of native baroque religious music of the colonial period was recovered in recent years and has been performed internationally to wide acclaim since 1994.
The cultural development of what is present-day Bolivia is divided into three distinct periods: pre-Columbian, colonial and republican. Important archaeological ruins, gold and silver ornaments, stone monuments, ceramics and weavings remain in present-day Bolivia from several of these pre-Columbian cultures. Major ruins include Tihuanaco, Samaipata, Incallajta and Iskanwaya. The country abounds in other sites that are difficult to reach and hardly explored by archaeologists. The Spanish colonists brought their own tradition of religious art that, in the hands of local indigenous and mestizo builders and artisans, developed into a rich and distinctive style of architecture, painting, and sculpture known as "Mestizo Baroque."
The colonial period produced not only the paintings of Perez de Holguin, Flores and Bitti, but also the works of skilled, but unknown, stonecutters, wood carvers, goldsmiths and silversmiths. Bolivian artists of stature in the twentieth century include, among others, Guzman de Rojas, Arturo Borda, Maria Luisa Pacheco and Marina Nunez del Prado.
Human Development
Approximately 90 percent of the children attend primary school, but often for a year or less. The literacy rate is low in many rural areas, however, it is higher in urban centers. In the last year, an estimated 87 percent of the population, 15 years of age or over, was literate.
Bolivia is one of the least-developed countries in South America. About two-thirds of its people, many of them subsistence farmers, live in poverty. Bolivia's high mortality rate restricts the annual population growth rate to 1.7 percent. In recent years, the estimated life expectancy rate was 67.2 years for the total population. The infant mortality rate was 43.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Note: Economic and polical advantage has often eluded the indigenous population of Bolivia, many of whom live in poverty and do not benefit from profits derived from natural resources. Recent dissonance in the political terrain has largely been spurred by the prevalance of inequity.
One notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries, the HDI places Bolivia in the medium human development category, at 95th place.
Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief at CountryWatch.com. See Bibliography for general research sources.
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