Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

 

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Paraguay spends US$403 million on its military, or 1.1 percent of its GDP. This makes Paraguay the 105th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.021 percent of total global military expenditure. 

The military of Paraguay consists of an army, a Navy and an Air Force.

Military membership

Paraguay is also a member of 3 international military organizations. This makes it the 170th most militarily connected state in the world. 

  • System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces 
  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
  • International Atomic Energy Agency 

Military membership

International wars

Paraguay has partaken in 4 international wars. These are: 

  • Paraguayan Revolt 1811-1811 
  • Chaco War 1931-1935 
  • American occupation of the Dominican Republic 1956-1966 
  • Paraguayan coup d'état 1989-1989 

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Paraguay is a member of 11 international political organizations. This makes it the 115th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Member state of the United Nations 
  • International Labour Organization 
  • Organization of American States 
  • Community of Latin American and Caribbean States 
  • International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property 
  • Organization of Ibero-American States 
  • UNIDROIT 

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is the 71st most democratic state in the world. This is mainly due to its dictatorial past as well as its unequal treatment towards women and minorities. 

Democracy/Dictatorship

Since 1992, the politics of Paraguay take place in the form of a presidential republic where the president is head of state as well as head of government. Its elections take place every five years and has seen an increasing in the separation between its executive legislative and judiciary bodies. 

  • International Criminal Court 

  • Interpol 

  • Global Green Growth Institute 

  • World Organization for Animal Health 

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Peru.

Paraguay 

Known for having the strongest Navy of all landlocked states, Paraguay, or the Republic of Paraguay has had a tumultuous history. Before its contacts with the Europeans, the area was inhabited by the Guaycuruan. After its first contact with Spanish explorers at the start of the 16th century, Paraguay became fully colonized under the Spanish Empire at the end of the 16th century. After overthrowing the Spanish royalty at the start of the 19th century by Napoleon Bonaparte, Paraguay gained its independence in 1811. Since then, Paraguay was ruled by several dictatorships and has lost territory in a war against Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and has gained territory from Bolivia. After the second world war, Paraguay once again experienced a dictatorship which was overthrown by a military coup which lasted until 1989. Since then, Paraguay has constructed a new constitution and has entered a period of relative stability. .

 Located in the center of South America, the geography of Paraguay consists of a large flat plane with only the low to medium mountainous areas along its eastern and western border. Most of its terrain is lightly forested in combination with low lying vegetation. In total, Paraguay borders three other states with Brazil to the northeast, Argentina on its southern border and Bolivia to the northwest. 

It is the 59th largest state with a total surface area of 408.786 square kilometers or 157.833 square miles. This makes Paraguay slightly smaller than Zimbabwe and slightly larger than Iraq. 

It has a total water surface area of 9497 square kilometers or 3668 square miles. This makes Paraguay the 51st largest state in the world. 

 

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

The climate of Paraguay is a subtropical climate with hot and rainy summers and mild winters. The average temperature is 22.9 degrees Celsius or 73 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Paraguay the 88th warmest state in the world. 

During its warmer periods, from October to March, the average high temperature is 27.7 degrees Celsius or 82 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During its colder period, from April to September, the average low temperature is 17.1 degrees Celsius or 62.8 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Most of its rainfall occurs during its warmer period which creates a hot and humid climate for several months. Rainfall is fairly evenly spread out throughout Paraguay with its northern part receiving 1.5 times the amount of its southern part. On average, Paraguay receives 157.7 centimetres or 62.1 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 50th highest in the world. 

The capital of Paraguay, Asunción, is home to approximately 3.500,000 people. The closest capital is Sucre, Bolivia, with a distance of 1021 kilometers or 635 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Manila, Philippines, with a distance of 18818 kilometers or 11693 miles.  

The economy of Paraguay is mainly focused on the export of agricultural products and livestock. Aside from this, Paraguay has invested heavily in hydroelectric power. These products are mainly exported to Argentina and Brazil which combined represent more than 55 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from Argentina, the United States, Brazil and China which combined represent more than 75 percent of all imports. 

Paraguay is a member of 12 international economic organizations. This makes it the 104th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Alliance for Financial Inclusion 
  • Inter-American Development Bank 
  • International Development Law Organization 
  • International Monetary Fund 
  • World Bank Group 
  • World Customs Organization 
  • World Trade Organization 
  • Mercosur 
  • International Renewable Energy Agency 
  • International Solar Alliance 
  • Group of 77 
  • Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law 

It has a GDP of US$37 billion, which makes it the 97th highest in the world and represents 0.05 percent of total global GDP.  

Its GDP per surface area is the 150th highest in the world with US$92.655 per square kilometer or US$239.975 per square mile.  

Its GDP per capita is the 101st highest in the world with US$5354. 

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 110th highest in the world with US$11850. 

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of just over 7 million people, Paraguay is the 103rd most populous state in the world. The population of Paraguay almost fully exists of a mixture between Europeans and indigenous people. As a result, it has Spanish and Guarani as its official languages. Other languages mainly come from large immigrant groups such as German and Brazil.  

 It has the 170th highest population density in the world with 17 people per square kilometer or 45 people per square mile.  

12.4 percent of the population, or just under 900,000 people, have migrated to other states. This makes Paraguay the 74th state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.35 percent of total global emigration. At first, the main reason for emigration has been political due to its several dictatorships and increasing violence. However, after becoming a democratic government, the main reason for migration has been economic due to a lack of employment opportunities. The largest recipient of migrants from Paraguay has been Argentina which is solely responsible for nearly 80 percent of all emigrants. 

Immigration to Paraguay is represented by 2.24 percent of the population, or just over 150,000 people. This makes Paraguay the 94th state with the highest amount of immigrants and represents 0.06 percent of total global immigration. The main reason for migration to Paraguay has been the economic opportunities due to cheap land which has attracted Brazilian farmers as well as German Mennonites. 

Education is unevenly provided throughout Paraguay which has led to a literacy rate of 94.7 percent, which is the 93rd highest in the world. 

The health care sector of Paraguay has made large strides in the last decades. Currently, it's health care system is free and universal for all its citizens. There are some challenges to the overall health which are mainly in the form of rural access to health care as well as noncommunicable diseases. The noncommunicable diseases are related to cardiovascular diseases. The average life expectancy is 74.6 years which is the 60th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 76.8 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 72.6 years. 

Paraguay provides freedom of religion towards all religions. However, because of a Catholic majority, there are some preferences in the cooperation between the Catholic church and the government of Paraguay. 

With 80.9 percent of the population adhering to Christianity, Paraguay is the 48th most Christian state in the world. After being colonized by the Spanish, its missionaries have converted to the majority of the population within two centuries. 

 

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed 

Islam is represented by less than 0.01 percent of the population which makes it the 192nd most Islamic state in the world. The Muslims that reside within Paraguay are mostly adhering to the Sunni branch of Islam and originate from Palestine and Syria. 

Buddhism is represented by 0.07 percent of the population. The majority of Buddhists within Paraguay are Japanese settlers that arrived during the second half of the 20th century. 

Hinduism is represented by 0.03 percent of the population and mainly consists of people that have taken the opportunity to farm in Paraguay. 

Judaism is represented by 0.04 percent of the population and mainly consists of refugees from the Ottoman Empire as well as Nazi Germany. 

Other religions are represented by 1.27 percent of the population and are mainly adherence to the Baha'i faith. 

Irreligion is represented by 0.74 percent of the population.