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Bolivia: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated 18 September 2026 · UN World Population Prospects

Bolivia has a population of 12,749,291 (UN estimate, 2026), with Sucre as its capital. The 50 largest of its 138 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+48%

since 2000 (8,606,326)

+26%

projected by 2050 (16,110,162)

people per km²

UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.

Full UN series, 1950 to 2050

Year	Population
1950	3,089,969
1975	5,137,539
2000	8,606,326
2005	9,360,754
2010	10,182,345
2015	11,014,705
2020	11,816,299
2025	12,581,843
2026	12,749,291
2030 projected	13,405,564
2050 projected	16,110,162

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Bolivia

#	Place	Region	Population
1	La Paz	La Paz Department	2,004,652
2	Santa Cruz de la Sierra	Santa Cruz Department	1,831,434
3	Cochabamba	Cochabamba	841,276
4	Sucre	Chuquisaca Department	224,838
5	Oruro	Oruro	208,684
6	Sacaba	Cochabamba	180,726
7	Quillacollo	Cochabamba	172,405
8	Tarija	Tarija Department	159,269
9	Potosí	Potosí Department	141,251
10	Riberalta	Beni Department	99,070
11	Montero	Santa Cruz Department	88,616
12	Viacha	La Paz Department	86,218
13	Trinidad	Beni Department	84,259
14	Yacuiba	Tarija Department	82,803
15	Tiquipaya	Cochabamba	62,675
16	Vinto	Cochabamba	58,739
17	Colcapirhua	Cochabamba	52,732
18	Sipe Sipe	Cochabamba	47,000
19	Caranavi	La Paz Department	45,747
20	Villamontes	Tarija Department	39,800
21	Guayaramerín	Beni Department	36,008
22	Bermejo	Tarija Department	35,411
23	Mizque	Cochabamba	30,481
24	Villazón	Potosí Department	30,253
25	Llallagua	Potosí Department	28,069
26	Camiri	Santa Cruz Department	27,961
27	Cobija	Pando	26,585
28	San Borja	Beni Department	24,610
29	San Ignacio de Velasco	Santa Cruz Department	23,569
30	Tupiza	Potosí Department	22,233
31	Warnes	Santa Cruz Department	22,036
32	Achocalla	La Paz Department	19,583
33	Ascención de Guarayos	Santa Cruz Department	18,816
34	Cotoca	Santa Cruz Department	18,347
35	Villa Yapacaní	Santa Cruz Department	18,187
36	Laja	La Paz Department	18,023
37	El Torno	Santa Cruz Department	15,543
38	Huanuni	Oruro	15,492
39	Punata	Cochabamba	15,194
40	Ascensión	Santa Cruz Department	14,429
41	Mineros	Santa Cruz Department	14,385
42	Ckochas	Potosí Department	14,338
43	Mecapaca	La Paz Department	13,289
44	Santa Ana de Yacuma	Beni Department	12,783
45	Puerto Suárez	Santa Cruz Department	12,546
46	Okinawa Uno	Santa Cruz Department	12,482
47	Patacamaya	La Paz Department	12,260
48	Colchani	Potosí Department	11,988
49	Rurrenabaque	Beni Department	11,749
50	Portachuelo	Santa Cruz Department	11,485

Twenty years earlier: Bolivia in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 9,073,856.

Common questions

What is the population of Bolivia?

Bolivia has a population of 12,749,291, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 16,110,162 — a forecast, not a measurement.

What is the capital of Bolivia?

Sucre. The largest place we record there is La Paz, with 2,004,652 people.

Go deeper

La Paz

The largest place we record in Bolivia: 2,004,652 people

Bolivia in 2005

The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 9,073,856 then

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