Transparency Snapshot

Bolivia has taken steps towards increased transparency since 2006. But despite some effort by the administration of President Evo Morales to fight corruption and improve openness, public disclosure of resource windfalls and related expenditures continues to be a major challenge. According to the 2008 Open Budget Index, Bolivia provides scant public information on the government's annual budget and financial activities.

Bolivia enacted its Transparency and Access to Government Information Law (Law 27329) in 2004, and in early 2006 Law 3351 created the Vice-Ministry of Transparency and Anti-Corruption within the Ministry of Justice. More recently, following the January 2009 referendum approving the new Constitution, the government passed Supreme Decree Nº 29894, creating the Ministry of Institutional Transparency and Struggle Against Corruption.
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Extractive Industries

Historically, Bolivia has depended heavily on the extractive industries, as a key source of exports and the most important source of fiscal revenues. Bolivia is the world's fourth largest tin producer, ranks 11th in global production of silver, and also mines gold, copper and lead, among other minerals. But hydrocarbons have grown in importance and public attention since the 1990s, with daily production levels reaching 58 thousand barrels of oil and 519 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

The San Cristobal mine, located in Potosi, produces silver, zinc and lead and is the third largest silver mine in the world, with reserves estimated to be 12,600 tons. San Cristobal's zinc reserves are estimated to 3.2 million tons, with lead reserves estimated at 1.2 million tons.
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