Facts and figures of Paraguay

Numbers in parentheses refer to the OECD average
The land, people and electoral cycle

Population (thousands - 2015)a

6 756

Official languages

Spanish, Guaraní

Under 15 (% - 2015)a

31 %

Form of government

Constitutional Republic

Population density

16.6

Last presidential election

2018

Land area (km2)

406 752

The economy

GDP, current prices (billion USD - 2016)

27.4b

Main exports (% of total merchandise exports - 2016)

GDP growth rate 2016 (%)

4.1b

Soybeans and derivatives

36%c

Inflation rate 2016 (%)

4.1c

Beef meat

14%c

GDP growth 2006-2015 (%, annual average)

5.1b

Value-added (% of GDP, 2016)b

Tax to GDP ratio (% of GDP - 2015)

17.9d (34.3%)

Agriculture

20 (1.5 – 2015)

Trade in goods and services (% of GDP)

Industry

30.3 (24.3 – 2015)

Exports – 2016

42.1b (28.5 - 2015)

Services

49.8 (74.2– 2015)

Imports – 2016

39.4b (28 - 2015)

Well-being

Consumption possibilities

GDP per capita, 2016 (USD, 2011 constant PPP)

8 878b (38 725)

Share of population living below the poverty line (%, 2016)

28.9h

Income inequality (adult equivalent disposable income), 2015

52 (32)e

Work

Labour force participation (%, 15 to 64 year old, 2016)

72.7f (71.3 – 2015)i

Unemployment rate (% - 2016)

6.0n (6.3)

Employment to population ratio (% of 15 and over, 2016)

66.3m (55.7)

Youth unemployment rate (%, 15 to 29, 2016)

10.6 (12.5)

Housing

Households with improved sanitation facilities (%, 2015)

88.6 (98.8)

Satisfaction with the availability of affordable housingl (%, 2015)

54

Education

Expected years of schoolingk

12.3 (17.4)

Adult literacy rate (%, 2016)

94.6

Health

Life expectancy (at birth, in years, 2016)

73.6i (79.9)

Satisfaction with the health system (%)j

43

Vulnerability

Intentional homicide rate (per 100 000)

8.4

Health insurance coverage (% of the employed population, 2016)f

29

Social connections

Empowerment and participation

Population stating they have someone to count on in case of need (%)

91j (88)j

Ranking in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, 2015l

123/176

Life evaluation

Life satisfaction (average on 1-10 scale)

5.6j (7.3)

The environment

Average exposure to PM2.5 concentrations, micrograms per cubic metre, 2015

14.3 (12.3)

CO2 emissions (kg per 2011 PPP USD of GDP)

0.09 (0.27)b

Forest area (% of land area, 2014)

39.4b (31.3)b

The Central Bank of Paraguay is undertaking a revision of National Accounts, changing the base year to 2014 and adopting SNA 2008. At the time of writing, the revised data were not available in long series or at the necessary level of disaggregation. This report therefore relies on national accounts data with the 1994 base year.

a. DGEEC. Paraguay. Proyección de la Población Nacional, Áreas Urbana y Rural por Sexo y Edad, 2000-2025. Revisión 2015.

b. World Bank (2017), World Development Indicators Database (database), Washington DC, http://data.worldbank.org.

c. Central Bank of Paraguay (2017), https://www.bcp.gov.py/.

d. Ministry of Finance of Paraguay (2017), Informe de las Finanzas Públicas de la República del Paraguay, Ministerio de Hacienda, Gobierno Nacional de Paraguay, Asunción.

e. OECD project 2015/16 “Monitoring Inequalities and Fostering Inclusive Growth in Emerging Economies” estimates based on micro-data from the main household surveys for Argentina, Bolivia, Dominic Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, as available through CEDLAS (Centre for Distributive, Labor and Social Issues in Latin America, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina).

f. Calculations based on Encuesta Permanente de Hogares (2016).

g. OECD Labour force participation database, http://dotstat.oecd.org/?lang=en.

h. DGEEC (2017), Principales Resultados de Pobreza y Distribución de Ingreso, www.dgeec.gov.py.

i. MSPBS/DIGIES/DES, Subsistema de Información de Estadísticas Vitales.

j. Gallup World Poll, www.gallup.com/services/170945/world-poll.aspx.

k. UIS (UNESCO).

l. Transparency International.

m. MTESS (2017), Boletín Estadístico de Seguridad Social 2016, Ministerio de Trabajo, Empleo y Seguridad Social.

n. DGEEC (2017), Principales Indicadores de Empleo, EPH 2016, www.dgeec.gov.py.

o. OECD/ECLAC/CAF (2016), Latin American Economic Outlook 2017: Youth, Skills and Entrepreneurship, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/leo-2017-en.

Administrative regions of Paraguay
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