Bolivia Climate
Top 5 Cities: La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Cochabamba, Sucre, and El Alto
This month in numbers
Bolivia experienced its 10th warmest February–April on record, with an average temperature of 21.24°C, marking an anomaly of +1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. April 2026 alone saw an average temperature of 20.11°C, an anomaly of +0.6°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperature, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, while the February–April period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
Bolivia's recent warmth is part of a longer-term trend, with 2025 being the warmest year on record at 21.56°C. The country's long-term trend shows a significant warming of +1.31°C since the 1961–1990 baseline. This past month, Bolivia's temperature anomaly was slightly warmer than the South America group average. The region has also been grappling with a persistent drought, active since June 2023, and a recent wildfire event in May 2026, both representing 100% of the annual total for their respective categories, indicating an unusual concentration of these events. More information on these events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend in Bolivia is influenced by the broader phenomenon of , where landlocked regions experience more rapid temperature increases. Additionally, the ongoing drought conditions contribute to , further intensifying heat. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but an El Niño phase is strongly forecast to develop from May-July 2026 onwards, with a 98% probability by August-October 2026. Historically, El Niño events typically bring warmer and drier conditions to the Amazon basin, which could exacerbate drought stress and increase the risk of wildfires in the coming months. in the Amazon also plays a role in regional weather pattern shifts, making conditions more difficult for agriculture.
Looking ahead
The strong forecast for an El Niño phase in the coming months suggests a heightened likelihood of warmer and drier conditions for Bolivia, potentially leading to increased drought stress and a more active fire season.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Bolivia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Bolivia changing?
Bolivia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Bolivia come from?
Climate data for Bolivia comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Bolivia climate data cover?
The Bolivia climate profile covers La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Cochabamba, Sucre and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Bolivia
How often is the Bolivia climate update refreshed?
The Bolivia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.