Paraguay — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Paraguay: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Paraguay is in Central South America, northeast of Argentina, southwest of Brazil. It covers 406,752 sq km. Terrain: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere. Climate: subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west.
| Capital | Asunción |
|---|---|
| Population | 7,604,044 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $112.919 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $16,300 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 4.2% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 3.8% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 6.1% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 18.9% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $17.395 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $18.377 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 78.8 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 32.3 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 63.1% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 14-15 May 1811 (from Spain) |
| Languages | Spanish (official) and Guarani (official) 46.3%, only Guarani 34%, only Spanish 15.2%, other (includes Portuguese, German, other Indigenous languages) 4.1%, no response 0.4% (2012 est.) |
Paraguay’s GDP is $112.919 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $44.458 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 4.2% (2024 est.). See where Paraguay ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A quiet quarter: no major shocks, no breakthroughs. The country's trajectory is set by structural forces larger than any single season.
The honest reading is steadiness — neither crisis nor windfall — with the long currents of demography, trade and institutions deciding more than any three months.
- What our model rewards: public debt under 19% of GDP — room to maneuver; 100% of its electricity from low-carbon sources
- What drags it down: a current-account deficit of $2 billion (3.7% of GDP) — living beyond its means
Hydropower, Timber, Iron ore, Manganese.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | hydroelectricity: 99.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 25.733 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 51.6 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 44.2 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 7,542 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 99.5% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 100.0% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 24.9 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $17.395 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $18.377 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $982.0 million (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | sugar processing, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, base metals, electric power |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Santiago Peña — President. President Santiago PEÑA Palacios (since 15 August 2023)
Paraguay maintains 39 embassies and 31 consulates abroad, hosts 32 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, OAS Washington. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 39 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 31 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 32 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, OAS Washington |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, diplomatic & consular networks database, Mar 2026 report (of-country) https://zenodo.org/records/18917562 ; hosted: Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions in Paraguay' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Paraguay
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 83 + 29 heliports (registration prefix ZP) |
| Major seaports | Puerto de Asuncion |
| Railways | 30 km |
Major airports
Guaraní International Airport (AGT) — Ciudad del Este; Silvio Pettirossi International Airport (ASU) — Asunción; Teniente Ramon A. Ayub Gonzalez International Airport (ENO) — Encarnación.
Terminals
| River ports | Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion (Parana) |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Paraguay.
Historical timeline of Paraguay
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Paraguay — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Paraguay's power score?
Paraguay has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.