Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Bolivia
Bolivia: Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 7.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Food imports in Bolivia, 1962–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Bolivia recorded 7.6% for food imports in 2025.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Bolivia peaked at 26.5% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 2022.
That places Bolivia 176th out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 59 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Bolivia, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 25.2% | — |
| 1963 | 26.5% | +5.2% |
| 1964 | 23.9% | -9.7% |
| 1965 | 19.9% | -16.8% |
| 1966 | 18.6% | -6.3% |
| 1967 | 20.6% | +10.3% |
| 1968 | 17.6% | -14.2% |
| 1969 | 17.3% | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 20.2% | +16.5% |
| 1971 | 21.7% | +7.6% |
| 1972 | 21.1% | -2.6% |
| 1974 | 21.8% | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 17.5% | -19.9% |
| 1976 | 15.1% | -13.7% |
| 1977 | 14.0% | -7.1% |
| 1978 | 13.8% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 13.8% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 18.9% | +36.8% |
| 1981 | 14.5% | -23.1% |
| 1982 | 18.9% | +29.6% |
| 1983 | 20.4% | +8.1% |
| 1984 | 16.8% | -17.5% |
| 1985 | 18.3% | +8.9% |
| 1986 | 13.4% | -27.0% |
| 1987 | 18.1% | +35.2% |
| 1992 | 11.0% | -39.4% |
| 1993 | 9.3% | -15.3% |
| 1994 | 10.0% | +7.5% |
| 1995 | 9.5% | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 10.2% | +7.4% |
| 1997 | 8.5% | -16.6% |
| 1998 | 7.9% | -7.8% |
| 1999 | 9.6% | +21.6% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | +40.7% |
| 2001 | 14.9% | +10.4% |
| 2002 | 13.2% | -10.9% |
| 2003 | 13.2% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 11.5% | -13.3% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | -11.2% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | -9.0% |
| 2007 | 10.3% | +10.6% |
| 2008 | 9.2% | -10.5% |
| 2009 | 8.9% | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | -13.5% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 7.3% | -9.3% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 7.5% | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 6.9% | -7.9% |
| 2016 | 8.5% | +22.3% |
| 2017 | 8.3% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 7.7% | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 10.8% | +43.1% |
| 2021 | 7.7% | -28.4% |
| 2022 | 6.0% | -22.5% |
| 2023 | 7.2% | +19.7% |
| 2024 | 7.5% | +5.1% |
| 2025 | 7.6% | +1.5% |
Bolivia compared with similar countries
- Bolivia's 7.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.5%, 41% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bolivia's 7.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 19.0%, 40% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 21.2% | 17.3% | 26.5% | 8 |
| 1970s | 17.7% | 13.8% | 21.8% | 9 |
| 1980s | 17.4% | 13.4% | 20.4% | 8 |
| 1990s | 9.5% | 7.9% | 11.0% | 8 |
| 2000s | 11.4% | 8.9% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 6.9% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 6.0% | 10.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bolivia
More private sector data for Bolivia
- Merchandise trade 30.5% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 60.4% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 10.03 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 2.36 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 20.5% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 8.3% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 9.70 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 1.27 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 771.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1498 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Bolivia?
- Food imports in Bolivia was 7.6% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Bolivia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 1963.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Bolivia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 2022.
- How does Bolivia rank for food imports?
- Bolivia ranks 176th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Bolivia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bolivia data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.