From June 2025 through May 2026, about two-thirds of Bolivia’s electricity consumption came from fossil fuels, entirely gas, while almost one-third came from low-carbon sources. Hydropower supplied the largest clean share, at about 26% of electricity, followed by solar at 3%, wind at just over 2%, and biofuels at 1%. This leaves Bolivia heavily dependent on fossil electricity, with substantial scope to expand clean generation and reduce the climate and air-pollution impacts associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Bolivia?

Bolivia’s latest figures do not show electricity consumption growing beyond its previous peak. In 2026, consumption stood at 953 kWh per person, about 46 kWh—or roughly 5%—below the 2024 record of 998 kWh per person. Low-carbon electricity generation also fell short of its record: the latest figure was 309 kWh per person, down 70 kWh, or about 18%, from 379 kWh in 2024. These setbacks are concerning, particularly because electrification and growing digital infrastructure will require more electricity, and a much larger clean supply.

Suggestions

Bolivia should prioritize expanding solar electricity while developing wind and considering nuclear generation as part of its long-term clean electricity strategy. Nearby Chile offers a particularly relevant example, generating about 24% of its electricity from solar and 14% from wind. Uruguay obtains roughly one-third from wind, while Brazil generates about 15% from wind, demonstrating the technology’s contribution in South America. For solar, the US state of Nevada also provides a strong benchmark, with about 35% of its electricity generated from sunlight. Nuclear could complement these sources with steady low-carbon generation: France generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, while Pakistan combines nuclear at 13% with solar at 24%. Bolivia can learn from these regions’ experience in building generation capacity, strengthening grids, and developing the institutions and workforce needed for clean electricity growth.

History

Bolivia’s recorded low-carbon electricity history has been dominated by changes in hydropower. In the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, the listed annual increases and decreases were generally modest, around 0.2 TWh. The mid-2010s brought larger changes: hydropower fell by 0.3 TWh in 2014, recovered by 0.2 TWh in 2015, and dropped by 0.7 TWh in 2016. Encouraging gains followed in 2017–2019, totaling 1.5 TWh. During the 2020s, hydropower declined by 0.3 TWh in 2020, recovered by the same amount in 2021, and fell by 0.4 TWh in 2022, when wind added 0.3 TWh. Hydropower then gained 0.5 TWh in 2024, followed by a 0.3 TWh reduction in biofuel generation in 2025 and a 0.3 TWh hydropower decline in 2026. The recent reversals underline the importance of adding solar, wind, and eventually nuclear to deliver sustained growth in clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Jun 2025 – May 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.