Bolivia

Featured Report

Not Available

Immigration detainees

2019

Not Available

Detained children

2017

901

New asylum applications

2019

863

Refugees

2019

156,114

International migrants

2019

Featured Report

Overview

Types of facilities used for migration-related detention
Administrative Ad Hoc Criminal Unknown

Related Reading

August 2020
Bolivia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
September 2017
Immigration Detention through the Lens of International Human Rights: Lessons from South America
Read more

20 August 2020

United Nations, “Los Migrantes Tienen Derecho a Regresar a su País Durante la Pandemia del Coronavirus,” 15 April 2020, https://news.un.org/es/story/2020/04/1472872
United Nations, “Los Migrantes Tienen Derecho a Regresar a su País Durante la Pandemia del Coronavirus,” 15 April 2020, https://news.un.org/es/story/2020/04/1472872

Bolivia has been strongly affected by the Covid-19 crisis. By 31 July, Bolivia had more than 75,000 cases of Covid-19 and 2,894 deaths related to the disease. Faced with the pandemic, the government took several measures including declaring a state of emergency, closing borders, imposing fines and detaining people who do not respect quarantine or confinement measures. Bolivia has also imposed restrictions on citizens wishing to return from abroad. Bolivians in Chile, for instance, must spend 14 days in quarantine prior to returning. Some 1,300 Bolivian nationals--including pregnant women, elderly persons, and children--have been stranded in Chile and hundreds of them have been forced to sleep in freezing conditions with little food and water. For its part, by April the Chilean government had transported approximately 1,000 Bolivian nationals to Colchane, a town near the border, where they were accommodated in schools, with sanitary and basic services.

Last updated:

DETENTION, EXPULSION, AND INCARCERATION STATISTICS

Total number of immigration detainees by year
Not Available
2019
Total number of detained minors
Not Available
2017
Criminal prison population
14,598
2016
14,770
2013
9,406
2010
7,683
2007
6,495
2004
5,577
2001
6,149
1998
5,412
1996
Percentage of foreign prisoners
4.1
2014
6.8
2006
Prison population rate (per 100,000 of national population)
130
2016
140
2013
93
2010
80
2007
71
2004
65
2001
76
1998
70
1996

DEMOGRAPHICS AND IMMIGRATION-RELATED STATISTICS

Population
11,700,000
2020
10,725,000
2015
International migrants
156,114
2019
143,000
2015
International migrants as a percentage of the population
1.3
2015
Refugees
863
2019
810
2018
786
2017
761
2016
775
2015
763
2014
Ratio of refugees per 1000 inhabitants
0.07
2016
0.07
2014
Total number of new asylum applications
901
2019
12
2016
42
2014
Refugee recognition rate
61.3
2014
Stateless persons
0
2016

SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Gross Domestic Product per capita (in USD)
3,124
2014
Remittances to the country
1,201,000
2015
Unemployment Rate
2014
Net official development assistance (ODA) (in millions USD)
671.8
2014
Human Development Index Ranking (UNDP)
110 (Medium)
2015
Pew Global Attitudes Poll on Immigration
73
2007

DOMESTIC LAWS AND POLICIES

Legal tradition
Civil law
2017
Core pieces of national legislation
Ley N°370 del 8 de Mayo 2013, de Migración (2013)
2013
Additional legislation
Reglamento de la Ley de migración, DS Nº 1923, 13 de marzo de 2014 (2014)
2014

INTERNATIONAL LAW

International treaties
Ratification Year
OP ICESCR, Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
2012
OP CRC Communications Procedure
2013
OPCRPD, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
2009
CRPD, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
2009
ICRMW, International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
2009
ICPED, International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
2008
OPCAT, Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
2006
CTOCTP, Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children
2006
CAT, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
1999
CRC, Convention on the Rights of the Child
1990
CEDAW, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
1990
CRSSP, Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
1983
ICCPR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
1982
ICESCR, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
1982
CRSR, Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
1982
PCRSR, Protocol to the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
1982
ICERD, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
1970
VCCR, Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
1970
Individual complaints procedure
Acceptance Year
CRC, [Third] Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child establishing a communications procedure, 2011 2013
2013
ICESCR, Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 2008 2012
2012
CRPD, Optional Protocol to o the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2009
2009
CAT, declaration under article 22 of the Convention 2006
2006
ICERD, declaration under article 14 of the Convention 2006
2006
CEDAW, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 1999 2000
2000
ICCPR, First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 1982
1982
Ratio of complaints procedures accepted
Observation Date
7/9
7/9
Relevant recommendations issued by treaty bodies
Recommendation Year
Committee on Migrant Workers §31. The Committee recommends that the State party should take the necessary steps to ensure that its consular services respond more effectively to protect and promote the rights of Bolivian migrant workers and members of their families where necessary and that, in particular, they provide the necessary assistance to any of them who are in detention or subject to an expulsion order. 2013
2013
Committee on Migrant Workers §26. The Committee recommends that the State party ensures that migrants or members of their families when detained for violation of provisions relating to migration are deprived of their liberty for as short a time as possible and that it take steps to guarantee that they are held separately from convicted persons or persons detained pending trial, in accordance with article 17, paragraph 3, of the Convention. 2008
2008
Regional legal instruments
Year of Ratification (Treaty) / Transposed (Directive) / Adoption (Regulation)
ACHR, American Convention on Human Rights 1979
1979
IACPPT, Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture 2006
2006
APACHR, Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 2006
2006
CBDP, Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belem do Para) 1994
1994
IACFDP, Inter-American convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons 1996
1996
Visits by special procedures of the Human Rights Council
Year of Visit
Observation Date
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance 2012
2012
2015
Relevant recommendations of the UN Universal Periodic Review
Observation Date
No 2010
2017
No 2014

INSTITUTIONAL INDICATORS