The two counties have maintained good bilateral relations for over 70 years. Regular dialogue takes place between the governments, parliamentarians and at the level of civil society.

The Bolivian economy suffers from an acute lack of foreign currency and high national debt. In 2024, the national debt amounted to more than 90 percent of GDP. That same year, bilateral trade amounted to just under 278 million euro. Exports from Bolivia to Germany totalled roughly 194 million euro, imports from Germany 83.6 million euro. Bolivia’s main exports to Germany are mineral resources (lead, tin and silver ores) and agricultural produce (nuts, coffee, soya, quinoa and millet). Its main imports from Germany include machinery, optical products, household appliances, vehicles and vehicle parts. The German-Bolivian Chamber of Industry and Commerce was founded in 1955 and currently has around 300 members.

Development cooperation with Bolivia has been pursued for over 60 years and is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). It currently focuses on three priority areas: fostering a just transition (renewable energy, sustainable urban development), protecting our natural resources (forest protection and sustainable forest management, especially in the Amazon), and transforming agricultural systems (rural development). In addition, support for civil society, gender equality and vocational training are important cross-cutting issues.

Cultural relations date back to the first wave of German traders and craftspeople who migrated to Bolivia in the mid‑nineteenth century. The German Cultural Centre (Centro Cultural Alemán) is over a century old and the German schools in La Paz and Santa Cruz are 102 and 89 years old respectively.

Three German political foundations (the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Hanns Seidel Foundation) have offices in Bolivia. Federal funding is also provided for numerous cooperation projects run by non‑state actors. These include church organisations, non-governmental organisations and the Deutsche Welle Academy. Exchange programmes such as the development volunteer service “weltwärts” and “kulturweit” (Bridging Cultures) make it possible for many Germans and Bolivians to spend time in each other’s countries every year. 18 Bolivian women participate in the German-Latin American-Caribbean women’s network Unidas.