Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America bordered by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru. The Bolivian population is among the most heterogeneous in South America, with large indigenous populations in the highlands (Quechua and Aymara). Bolivia's geographical location in South America plays a key role in regional forced displacement patterns, remaining mainly as a transit country. Venezuelans constitute the largest group in transit, followed by Colombians and Haitians. 

Bolivia is signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, as well as the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Bolivia's legal framework for refugees is primarily governed by Refugee Law No. 251, enacted in 2006 and it regulatory Decree N° 1440/2012. The Refugee Law establishes the interministerial National Refugee Commission (CONARE), responsible for adjudicating asylum claims and facilitating durable solutions for refugees. The law incorporates an extended definition of a refugee, aligning with the 1984 Cartagena Declaration, and provides refugees with rights to documentation, employment, education, and healthcare. However, frequent changes in the composition of CONARE and its Secretariat, and the lack of investment of the Government in this structure have rendered the asylum system as unable to keep up with the reality of population flows in its territory. As a consequence, there is very limited capacity to register and process asylum applications of those with international protection needs that transit the country.