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Millennium Development Goals
Bolivia
Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon Bolívar,
is home to 8 724 156 inhabitants. The country is located in central South
America, southwest of Brazil, and has one of the lowest GDP per capita in the continent, with
$2 400 per capita (adjusted by purchasing power parity.) Over the last 50
years, Bolivia's total population has tripled in size. This increase was accompanied by an intense urbanization process. Between 1950 and 2000, the rural population decreased from 65% to 35% of the national population. In 2000, 15% of the population was under 5 years of age, 40% under 15 years, and 59%
under 25 years. The total fertility rate remains high: between 1995 and 2000, women had 4.4 children on average.
Bolivia faces important challenges in terms of achieving
the Millennium Development Goals. The country inherited a difficult economic, political and social climate, which is compounded by long-term issues, such as profound inequality
and an economy that has been adversely affected by the region's recent
economic slump. Despite the existing conditions, Bolivia has managed to maintain
social progress. One aspect in which they have shown progress can be
seen by the 14% reduction of infant mortality by during the second half of
the last decade. In addition, the discovery at the end of the 1990s of
huge deposits of natural gas gives reason for optimism. Economically
speaking, Bolivia's trade with neighboring countries is growing, in part
because of several regional preferential trade agreements.
In spite of that, the cumulative social deficit in the
indigenous population that reaches 60% of the Bolivian total population is
still pending resolution. Bolivia is a member of the Andean Community
(CAN) and enjoys nominally free trade with other member countries (Peru,
Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela). Bolivia is also an associate member of
MERCOSUR (Southern Cone Common Market) and is part of the Amazon
Cooperation Treaty (OTCA)
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