Paraguay

Paraguay is a landlocked nation in central South America, bordered by Bolivia to the north and northwest, Brazil to the east, and Argentina to the south and southwest. This profile provides the stable identifiers that rarely change, a method for verifying figures that do change, and a way to distinguish data definitions from political or territorial claims. For nation-to-nation comparisons, see the pillar guide on structured comparison; for how to read sources behind the numbers, see the source-literacy guide.

Stable identifiers

These identifiers come from the United Nations Statistics Division and the World Bank, and they do not change with election cycles or economic reports.

Attribute	Value	Source
UN M49 code	600	UN Statistics Division, M49 overview
ISO alpha-2	PY	ISO 3166-1, maintained by ISO
ISO alpha-3	PRY	ISO 3166-1, maintained by ISO
UN region	Americas	UN M49
UN subregion	Latin America and the Caribbean	UN M49
UN membership	Member state	UN M49 overview
World Bank capital field	Asuncion	World Bank nation API

The M49 grouping is a data geography, not a political or territorial judgment. For example, the UN groups Paraguay under “Latin America and the Caribbean” for data convenience; this does not settle any question about political, economic, or territorial claims. Always separate the data layer (what a dataset counts) from the political layer (what a government claims). The UN M49 overview at explains this distinction. The World Bank nation API at returns the bank’s own codes and indicators; it is a different system from UN M49.

Nation basics

Paraguay is a landlocked nation in central South America. The UN M49 grouping places it in the Americas region and the Latin America and the Caribbean subregion. Its UN M49 code is 600, ISO alpha-2 code is PY, and ISO alpha-3 code is PRY. Paraguay is a UN member state. The World Bank capital field lists Asunción. These identifiers are stable and come from the UN Statistics Division’s M49 overview and the World Bank nation API ( The World Bank API is a machine-readable source; when you open it, each nation appears as an object with an id (the ISO alpha-3 code) and iso2Code (the alpha-2 code). For Paraguay, the id is PRY and the iso2Code is PY. The capital field in the World Bank API for Paraguay is Asuncion.

How to verify current figures

Every number below is a snapshot with a source and a reference year. If you need a current figure, do not rely on a static page. Open the named source, note the reference year, and check whether the definition matches the question you are asking. Different institutions measure the same concept differently, so a population figure from the UN may not match one from Paraguay’s national data institute. That is normal, not an error.

Paraguay’s population, currency, government structure and economic indicators change over time. Do not rely on a static figure from this profile; verify the current value at the source before citing it.

Population and development indicators

United Nations (UN) data, including the UN Population Division and the Human Development Report. The UN M49 overview defines Paraguay’s data codes and regional grouping.

Economic data

World Bank nation profiles and indicators via the World Bank API. For a machine-readable list of nations, request: ` The JSON response includes Paraguay’s ISO code, region, income level, and capital, with the reference year for each indicator. World Bank indicators are revised; always note the vintage year when you quote them.

Health data

World Health Organization nation profiles, including life expectancy and disease burden estimates.

Education and culture

UNESCO Institute for Statistics for literacy and enrolment; UNESCO World Heritage Centre for cultural sites.

Political rights and civil liberties

Freedom House report, published annually.

Corruption perceptions

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, published annually.

Official national data

Paraguay’s national data office (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE) publishes census and survey data.

Travel and entry rules

Your own government’s foreign ministry travel advisory; do not rely on third-party summaries.

Distinguish clearly between the data grouping (UN M49, ISO codes, World Bank region) and any political or territorial claims. Paraguay is a landlocked nation in South America. It borders Argentina to the southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. The Paraguay River divides the nation into two distinct regions: the Eastern Region (Región Oriental) and the Western Region (Región Occidental, also known as the Chaco). The capital is Asunción. The nation is a founding member of Mercosur. Guarani and Spanish are official languages. The World Bank classifies Paraguay as an upper-middle-income economy (per the World Bank’s income grouping, current as of the reference year). Note: GDP figures reported by the World Bank use Atlas method or PPP depending on the indicator; always check the exact indicator and year. The national data office is the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), its current name and data portal should be verified via the official national data office registry.

Cultural context

Guarani is widely spoken and holds official status alongside Spanish; many Paraguayans are bilingual. The indigenous Guarani language has influenced national identity beyond ethnic boundaries. Jesuit missions in the region left cultural heritage recognized in some listings. Cultural references should be verified with UNESCO or national institutions.

Handoffs to other pages

comparison guide, source literacy

Related searches

Paraguay population 2025; Paraguay GDP 2025; Paraguay visa requirements; Paraguay official languages; Paraguay currency; Paraguay government type; Paraguay travel advisory; Paraguay nation profile; Paraguay UN M49 code; Paraguay World Bank data

Who this helps

Students writing comparative nation reports; travellers planning a trip to Paraguay; researchers needing source-attributed data; educators designing nation comparison assignments; journalists verifying basic facts. Primary intent is to get a reliable, citable snapshot of Paraguay and understand where to find current data.

User intent

• verify basic nation facts quickly
• compare Paraguay to other nations
• find official sources for population, economy, or government
• understand what the numbers mean and how they are collected
• learn how to look up current visa and travel requirements
• distinguish official data from estimates or projections

Quick facts

Paraguay (PY, PRY). UN M49: 600. UN region: Americas; UN subregion: Latin America and the Caribbean. UN member state. Capital: Asunción. Official languages: Spanish and Guaraní. Currency: Paraguayan guaraní (PYG). Government: presidential republic. Time zone: UTC−04:00 (PYT; Paraguay observes DST from October to March). Internet TLD: .py. ISO codes: PY (alpha-2), PRY (alpha-3), numeric 600.

Profile structure

• Stable identifiers
• Population and people
• Languages
• Currency and economy
• Government and politics
• Travel and entry information
• How to verify current data
• Adjacent questions

Paraguay

Stable identifiers

Paraguay is a landlocked nation in central South America. In international data groupings:

• UN M49 code: 600
• ISO alpha-2: PY
• ISO alpha-3: PRY
• UN region: Americas
• UN subregion: Latin America and the Caribbean
• UN member state: Yes
• World Bank capital field: Asunción

These identifiers come from the UN Statistics Division’s M49 overview, which is a data grouping, not a political or territorial assertion (UN Statistics Division, M49 overview). The capital city listed by the World Bank is Asunción.

Verify the basics without freezing volatile figures

Nation profiles that publish a single “current” population or GDP figure quickly go out of date. For Paraguay, the stable facts are the codes above; the volatile facts, population, GDP, languages, currency, government, and visa rules, should be checked against the named primary source and reference year each time you use them.