Relationship dossier
Bolivia
Mexico
Relationship assessment
Trade ties and political cooperation coexist with a sharp diplomatic dispute in 2019.
Bolivia toward Mexico
-10Bolivia’s interim government declared Mexican diplomats persona non grata in December 2019 during a dispute over Mexico’s protection of former president Evo Morales and people associated with his government. This marked a serious episode of friction; the breadth of other Bolivian government cooperation with Mexico is less clear.
Mexico toward Bolivia
+35Mexico granted asylum to Evo Morales in November 2019 and facilitated his departure from Bolivia. This was a concrete act of political protection, although it became a source of diplomatic friction with Bolivia’s interim government.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship has a basis in bilateral trade arrangements and recurring political engagement, but the 2019 dispute over Mexico’s asylum for Evo Morales exposed significant sensitivity around political involvement. Cooperation and friction have varied with changes of government, making the durability of close political ties uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bolivia–Mexico relations have included practical trade arrangements and periods of political cooperation, alongside a serious diplomatic dispute in 2019. Mexico granted asylum to former Bolivian president Evo Morales, while Bolivia’s interim government later expelled Mexican diplomats amid allegations of interference. Relations have also been politically close under later left-leaning governments, though the scope and durability of cooperation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Bolivia’s interim government accused Mexico of political interference after Mexico sheltered Evo Morales and associated officials in 2019.
- Bolivia declared Mexican diplomats persona non grata during the 2019 diplomatic dispute.
Key developments
Mexico granted asylum to former Bolivian president Evo Morales after he resigned amid political turmoil.
Bolivia’s interim government declared Mexican diplomats persona non grata during a dispute over Mexico’s protection of Morales and associated officials.
Bolivia and Mexico established a bilateral preferential trade arrangement through an Economic Complementation Agreement.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral trade arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of sustained government cooperation beyond political engagement is uncertain.