Bolivia Military - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito de Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB); Ministry of Government: National Police (Policía Nacional de Bolivia, PNB) (2022)

note: the PNB includes two paramilitary forces, the Anti-Narcotics Special Forces (Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico, FELCN) and the Anti-Terrorist Group (GAT); the PNB is part of the reserves for the Armed Forces; the police and military share responsibility for border enforcement

Military expenditures

1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

1.4% of GDP (2019 est.) (approximately $980 million)

1.5% of GDP (2018 est.) (approximately $1 billion)

1.5% of GDP (2017 est.) (approximately $1.01 billion)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies widely; approximately 40,000 active troops (28,000 Army; 5,000 Navy; 7,000 Air Force); note - a considerable portion of the Navy personnel are marines and naval police; approximately 40,000 National Police (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Bolivian Armed Forces are equipped with a mix of mostly older Brazilian, Chinese, European, and US equipment; since 2010, China and France have been the leading suppliers of military hardware to Bolivia (2022)

Military service age and obligation

compulsory for all men between the ages of 18 and 22; men can volunteer from the age of 16, women from 18; service is for 12 months; Search and Rescue service can be substituted for citizens who have reached the age of compulsory military service; duration of this service is 24 months (2022)

note: foreign nationals 18-22 residing in Bolivia may join the armed forces; joining speeds the process of acquiring Bolivian citizenship by naturalization

Military - note

Bolivia has a small naval force for patrolling some 5,000 miles of navigable rivers to combat narcotics trafficking and smuggling, provide disaster relief, and deliver supplies to remote rural areas, as well as for maintaining a presence on Lake Titicaca; the Navy also exists in part to cultivate a maritime tradition and as a reminder of Bolivia’s desire to regain the access to the Pacific Ocean that the country lost to Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879-1884); every year on 23 March, the Navy participates in parades and government ceremonies commemorating the Día Del Mar (Day of the Sea) holiday that remembers the loss (2022)

NOTE: The information regarding Bolivia on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bolivia 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bolivia 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.