Culture and Customs of Bolivia

Arts, Crafts, and Architecture

Arts

Crafts

Architecture

Museums

Customs and Traditions

Local Traditions

Etiquette

Dress and Behavior

Sensitive or Taboo Topics

Languages

With the 2009 constitution, in addition to Spanish, which has always been the official language, the 36 indigenous languages spoken—or once spoken—in the country were also declared official. This means Bolivia has... 37 official languages!

Overall, however, Spanish dominates, as it is spoken by three-quarters of the population. Next are Quechua (25% of speakers) and Aymara (17%), far ahead of other indigenous languages, which are used only locally. It’s also worth noting that German has 170,000 speakers, largely due to the strong Mennonite community in the Santa Cruz region. Otherwise, as is often the case, English is common in the tourism sector, while French is almost unknown.