Bolivian cement demand edged up by 0.9 per cent YoY to 255,710t in March 2026 from 253,403t in March 2025, according to the country’s statistics agency, INE.
Demand in Santa Cruz, the country’s largest market, increased by 10.2 per cent YoY to 66,913t from 60,695t in March 2025. However, in La Paz consumption declined by 5.6 per cent YoY to 64,058t from 67,839t while in Cochabamba demand was down 18.4 per cent to 56,489t from 69,190t over the same period. The Chuquisaca market expanded by 109.4 per cent to 29,991t in March 2026 from 14,322t in the year-ago period. Cement consumption in Potosí increased 8.1 per cent YoY to 13,821t from 12,781t in March 2025 and in Oruro demand was up 3.8 per cent YoY to 10,446t from 10,060t. The Tarija market shrank 27.1 per cent to 10,178t from 13,963t and in Beni demand slipped 0.8 per cent YoY to 2824t from 2846t. Pando, the country’s smallest market, contracted sharply by 42 per cent YoY to 990t from 1706t.
January-March 2026
In the first quarter of 2026, total cement consumption in Bolivia contracted by 19.1 per cent YoY to 712,570t from 881,029t in the 1Q25.
Chuquisaca reported the largest increase in demand, which surged 102.9 per cent to 96,478t in the 1Q26 from 47,541t in the year-ago period while in Santa Cruz consumption edged up by one per cent YoY to 199,775t from 197,788t in the 1Q25. However, in all other markets, cement demand contracted significantly between the 1Q26 and the 1Q25. In Oruro demand declined 12.2 per cent to 29,604t from 33,728t while in Beni it decreased by 12.8 per cent to 9514t from 10,914t. Consumption in Potosí was down 26.7 per cent YoY to 31,837t from 43,417t and in Cochabamba there was a 35.9 per cent YoY decrease to 161,848t from 252,347t. A sharp fall was also noted in La Paz, where demand fell 37.5 per cent YoY to 154,137t from 246,678t, and in Tarija, where the drop reached 38.6 per cent YoY, as demand contracted to 26,766t from 43,612t. The Pando market shrank by 47.8 per cent YoY to 2610t from 5004t over the same period.
