A study reveals that six out of ten Bolivians consider the option of leaving the country next year between “medium probable and “very probable” if they had the opportunity to do so.
The company survey Ciesmor himself consulted a base of 400 people about their desire to emigrate from the country. The results were included in the report titled “2024 in Retrospect,” whose data was shared by 360 Vision.
The survey asked: “In the next year, if you and your family had the opportunity, how likely would you be to emigrate to another country?” 37% responded that it would be “very likely,” 23% said “moderately likely,” and 22% said “unlikely.” compared to 13% who consider it “not at all likely.” Finally, 6% did not respond.
In the same report, 95% of 1,200 people surveyed responded that the country is on the “bad path.” Negative perceptions about the direction of Bolivia, mainly at the economic and political level, are repeated in various surveys.
The most recent data on Bolivian emigration is from 2020 and was published by the United Nations Organization. In that year there were 927,244 emigrants, which meant 7.77% of the Bolivian population living abroad. Migration has been directed mainly to Argentina (45.6%), Spain (17.2%) and Chile (13.8%).
According to the International Organization for Migration There are structural factors that affect migratory flows, related to low levels of human development coupled with labor contracting systems abroad to bring young and cheap labor force to the destination countries.
With a Accumulated inflation of 8.82% until November – the highest in the last 29 years – Economic and political tensions continue to increase in the Andean country.
2024 was a complex year, even President Luis Arce described it as the “hardest” he has ever had to face. due to the worsening of the economic crisis, marked by the shortage of dollars and fuel, mainly. “This year was the hardest we have been able to endure, it was the most complicated year we have faced but we have overcome it and we are sure that 2025 will be a better year,” said the president in a meeting with journalists from La Paz in on Christmas Eve.
The Executive, which was slow to admit the country’s economic difficulties, attributed the crisis to poor management of the hydrocarbon industry during the Government of Evo Morales (2006-2019), to an adverse international context and the “blocking” of international credits for more than 1,228 million dollars in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. Additionally, the payment of the foreign debt, the growing spending on imported fuel subsidies and the protests by sectors related to former President Morales affected the country’s economy.
“We recognize that we are facing difficulties, but also we have taken actions, we have taken measures and that is why the economy is still growing“, expressed the president before local journalists.
However, throughout the year the population has suffered from a lack of fuel and the constant increase in prices of some products in the basic basketwhich has worsened in the last days of the year. The Government attributes this to speculation by producers and what it calls “reverse smuggling” at the borders, which is why it has intensified border controls and has taken on some measures to guarantee the internal market, such as the temporary veto of oil exports. refining or the intervention of rice mills.
Whatever the reasons, The economy is a growing concern among Bolivians who look with little optimism to next year.
