It is a strategic point for commercial distribution, which is reflected in its productive units. Of its enterprises, more than 30% are dedicated to commerce, the second category is construction.
This March 6, El Alto celebrates 37 years of life. In these almost four decades of accelerated growth, the young city has become the second most populated city in the country. Its 14 districts are home to more than 30,000 productive units, a third of those legally registered in the entire department of La Paz.
Due to its strategic location, El Alto is an obligatory corridor for exports, which encourages its vocation in the areas of commerce and construction.
"Our eternal gratitude to our brothers from El Alto. We recognize the struggle of this courageous and tireless people. It is a people that has taught us the way to recover our democracy and our natural resources," said President Luis Arce on the eve of March 6.
The second most populated
The municipality of El Alto is located in the west of the country, in the high plateau and has an area of 387.56 square kilometers. It was created under Law 628 of March 6, 1985, as the fourth section of the Murillo province of the department of La Paz. It was not until September 26, 1988 that Law 1014 elevated it to city status.
In a previous interview with Página Siete, Gregorio Romero, one of the founders of El Alto (who died last October), detailed that the city was born with 307,403 inhabitants. The data was taken from a file on the birth of the city, which he treasured with devotion.
On sheets of paper yellowed by time, he kept the distribution of those first inhabitants in a typed list of the pioneer neighborhoods of El Alto: Bolivar A, Villa Dolores, Alto Lima, 16 de Julio I, 16 de Julio II, 12 de Octubre, Ballivián I, Ballivián II, Tejada Rectangular and Los Andes. At that time there were only two sub-districts: north and south.
Today, that handful of houses scattered along the border with the seat of government has become one of the largest cities in the country. It has 14 districts, of which 10 are urban and four are rural.
According to projections by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) for 2022, El Alto has 1,109,048 inhabitants. In 37 years it managed to consolidate itself as the most populated city in the department of La Paz and the second at national level; below Santa Cruz de la Sierra (1,903,398 inhabitants) and above the seat of government (956,732 inhabitants).
While the average annual intercensal population growth rate for La Paz is -0.3%, for El Alto it is 2.4%. Although this is a significant figure, it is still below Achocalla, which has 3.4%.
In line with the national trend, but not as pronounced, 51.3% -majority- of the population are women. Men represent 48.7%.
A report by the Dirección General de Análisis Productivo (Dapro) indicates that the population of the municipality of El Alto has a young age profile. It highlights that the majority of its inhabitants are between 10 and 19 years of age. In other words, unlike La Paz and Bolivian society, which is beginning to age, in the young city the majority of children, adolescents and young people are still young.
But, of the more than one million inhabitants who are Alteños by heart and by conviction, there is a percentage who are also Alteños by birth. They are the inhabitants who were born in the young city after 1988, in a city already constituted. This group is between zero and 35 years of age and carries in their blood the mark of a thriving town.
"The young Alteño is enterprising, eager for progress without leaving aside his identity. We are children of migrants from La Paz, from the provinces, from the mines of Oruro and, therefore, a mixture of the most traditional of our Andean culture and the aspects of a completely modern city", defines Juan Pablo Copa. He is 35 years old and proudly assures: "I am from El Alto".
An urban center
At the level of the Murillo province, the municipality of El Alto stands out for its rate of urbanity, surpassing even the seat of government in this indicator and contrasting with the municipalities of Palca and Mecapaca, which are completely rural.
According to data from INE and the Ministry of Productive Development and Plural Economy (MDPyEP), the distribution of the population by area in El Alto corresponds to 99.8% in urban areas and 0.2% in rural areas. In the seat of government, 99% of the population is urban and 1% is rural.
A Depro publication from 2021 explains that currently the municipality of El Alto has 14 municipal districts, of which ten are recognized as urban (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 and 14) and four as rural (9, 10, 11 and 13).
"The demographic growth of the population of El Alto is one of the significant factors in urban expansion in the last decade. Consequently, the urban area of the city of El Alto is structured with a radial layout, combined with a grid layout. In relation to the process of district delimitation, changes in its jurisdictional delimitation were developed between 1997 and consolidated until 2013," he explains.
He adds that the proximity of the communities to the urban area is accelerating the changes from rural to urban land use. He warns that this allows illegal human settlements that encourage a land market without having the legal regulation completed. This has repercussions on legal insecurity in terms of property rights.
Commerce and construction
According to the Bolivian Registry of Commerce, the Current Business Base (BEV) of the municipality of El Alto at the end of 2021 was 30,167 productive units legally registered in that city. During that period, 2,260 companies were created, which implies a 53% growth compared to those created in 2020, when 1,475 companies were registered.
"This increase in the registration of companies is a reflection of the reactivation and recovery of the economy," states the MDPyEP's Eco Bolivia bulletin, issued on March 3.
According to Fundempresa, 86% of the BEV belongs to sole proprietorships, while the number of limited liability companies exceeds 4,000 economic units. In addition, the municipality of El Alto has slightly more than 60 companies incorporated as corporations. Likewise, 36% of the established companies are dedicated to the commercial sector and 34% to the productive sector. The remaining percentage is dedicated to different types of services. "It is perceived that one of the factors that notoriously affects the tertiary character of the productive profile of the municipality of El Alto is the presence of many economic units dedicated to the commercial activity", indicates the Productive Report of the municipality of El Alto 2021, published by the Depro.
In the productive sector, the most representative sector is construction, followed by manufacturing industry. There are also companies in the areas of mining and quarrying; agriculture, forestry and fishing; water, sewage and waste management; and electricity and gas supply.
In terms of services, in descending order, there are companies in transportation and storage services; professional and technical services; information and communications; accommodation, meals, administrative services; education, health and social assistance; financial and insurance intermediation; and arts and entertainment activities.
"Despite its large tertiary sector, the municipality of El Alto has conditions for the development of industrial activities such as high-voltage electric power connections, natural gas networks, and local and international telephone communication services and fiber optic connections. These conditions allow it to generate a productive dynamic of some large and medium-sized companies, but mainly small enterprises in the areas of food, clothing made in small industrial, manufacturing and handicraft units," states the same document.
It adds that the fairs in different areas and districts, where there is the purchase and sale of all kinds of products, are the activities of greater representation in terms of informal trade in El Alto. Undoubtedly the most famous is the 16 de Julio Fair, known worldwide as the emblem of El Alto.
A gateway to export Bolivian products to the world.
El Alto's geographical position makes it a strategic point for export, import and commercial distribution. It has access by air and land to the city of La Paz. It is also a connection point with the ports of Ilo (593 km), Arica (457 km) and Matarani (787 km) on the Pacific. It is connected to Oruro through 6 de Marzo Avenue - road to Oruro, which connects with the road to Arica, as well as with Cochabamba. The Juan Pablo II Avenue - Panamerican Highway connects to Desaguadero.
The first order roads are characterized for being structuring to the international transit roads, interdepartmental and municipal roads.
According to the document El Alto in figures, published by the INE last week, the main exit doors for export goods are located in the young city. These are the International Airport and the El Alto Industrial Free Trade Zone.
According to data published by the INE, the movement of goods through these customs reached US$2,742 million in 2021. The main route was the air terminal.
While US$2,741.87 million left through El Alto International Airport, only US$0.11 million left through the Free Trade Zone.
Other economic data
According to data from the Financial System Supervisory Authority, 99.9% of loans in the city of El Alto are in local currency, as are 95.5% of deposits.
Also, according to the MDPyEP, tax collection in the city of El Alto reached 324 million bolivianos. The amount increased by 26% compared to 2020, reflecting the economic reactivation.
As of October 2021, according to official data, El Alto's executed public investment reached US$91 million, while in the same period of 2020 it reached US$55 million.
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