paraguay

The origin of the name Paraguay is uncertain. One version postulates the name takes from Guaraní paraguá "feather crown" and y "water" thus paraguaí "feather crown of waters".{{citation|author=Antonio Ruiz de Montoya|entry=Paraguá|title=Vocabulario y tesoro de la lengua Guarani (ó mas bien Tupi)|volume=2|year=1876|page=263|url=http://archive.org/details/gramaticaydiccio02ruiz}} Other versions affirm that the name derives from the Payaguá people, for the Paraguay River was called the Payaguá-y, or "river of the Payaguás" by the Guaraní and hence would have come the name for the country; or that, also from the Guaraní, para would mean sea, gua, originates, and y, river, thus Paraguay would mean "river which gives birth to the sea".{{Cite book|last1=Nickson|first1=Andrew R.|last2=Kolinski|first2=Charles J.|title=Historical Dictionary of Paraguay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=skV7AAAAMAAJ|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=1993|isbn=9780810826434|access-date=20 October 2022|archive-date=20 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020212325/https://books.google.com.br/books/about/Historical_Dictionary_of_Paraguay.html?id=skV7AAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y|url-status=live}}

{{Main|History of Paraguay}}

The indigenous Guaraní had been living in eastern Paraguay for at least a millennium before the arrival of the Spanish. Western Paraguay, the Gran Chaco, was inhabited by nomads of whom the Guaycuru peoples were the most prominent. The Paraguay River was roughly the dividing line between the agricultural Guarani people to the east and the nomadic and seminomadic people to the west in the Gran Chaco. The Guarcuru nomads were known for their warrior traditions and were not fully pacified until the late 19th century. These indigenous tribes belonged to five distinct language families, which were the bases of their major divisions. Differing language speaking groups were generally competitive over resources and territories. They were further divided into tribes by speaking languages in branches of these families. Today 17 separate ethnolinguistic groups remain.

The first Europeans in the area were Spanish explorers in 1516.{{cite report |author=Sacks, Richard S. |section=Early explorers and conquistadors |editor1-last=Hanratty |editor1-first=Dannin M. |editor2-last=Meditz |editor2-first=Sandra W. |year=1988 |title=Paraguay: A country study |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Library of Congress / GPO |url=http://countrystudies.us/paraguay/2.htm |url-status=live |access-date=19 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919163833/http://countrystudies.us/paraguay/2.htm |archive-date=19 September 2011}} The Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar de Espinosa founded the settlement of Asunción on 15 August 1537. The city eventually became the center of a Spanish colonial province of Paraguay.

An attempt to create an autonomous Christian Indian nation{{cite web |title=Paraguariae Provinciae Soc. Jesu cum Adiacentibg. Novissima Descriptio |language=la |trans-title=A Current Description of the Province of the Society of Jesus in Paraguay with Neighboring Areas |year=1732 |via=World Digital Library |url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2581/ |access-date=8 September 2015 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428011358/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2581/ |url-status=live }} was undertaken by Jesuit missions and settlements in this part of South America in the eighteenth century. They developed Jesuit reductions to bring Guarani populations together at Spanish missions and protect them from virtual slavery by Spanish settlers and Portuguese slave raiders, the bandeirantes, in addition to seeking their conversion to Christianity. Catholicism in Paraguay was influenced by the indigenous peoples: The syncretic religion has absorbed native elements. The reducciones flourished in eastern Paraguay for about 150 years, until the expulsion of the Jesuits by the Spanish Crown in 1767. The ruins of two 18th century Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue have been designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

In western Paraguay, Spanish settlement and Christianity were strongly resisted by the nomadic Guaycuru and other nomads from the 16th century onward. Most of these peoples were absorbed into the mestizo population in the 18th and 19th centuries.

{{main|Independence of Paraguay}}

File:José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia.jpg, Paraguay's first dictator]]

Paraguay overthrew the local Spanish administration on 14 May 1811. Paraguay's first dictator was José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, who ruled Paraguay from 1814 until his death in 1840 with very little outside contact or influence. He intended to create a utopian society based on the Genevan theorist Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Social Contract.{{cite web |title=War of the Triple Alliance |website=War of the Pacific (warofthepacific.com) |url=http://warofthepacific.com/warofthetriplealliance.htm |access-date=14 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140807073919/http://warofthepacific.com/warofthetriplealliance.htm |archive-date=7 August 2014}} Rodríguez de Francia was nicknamed El Supremo.

Rodríguez de Francia established new laws that greatly reduced the powers of the Catholic church (Catholicism was then an established state religion) and the cabinet, forbade colonial citizens from marrying one another and allowed them to marry only blacks, mulattoes or natives, in order to break the power of colonial-era elites and to create a mixed-race or mestizo society.{{cite news |last1=Romero |first1=Simon |date=12 March 2012 |title=In Paraguay, indigenous language with unique staying power |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/world/americas/in-paraguay-indigenous-language-with-unique-staying-power.html |access-date=5 October 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930235457/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/world/americas/in-paraguay-indigenous-language-with-unique-staying-power.html |archive-date=30 September 2015}} He cut off relations between Paraguay and the rest of South America. Because of Francia's restrictions of freedom, Fulgencio Yegros and several other Independence-era leaders in 1820 planned a coup d'état against Francia, who discovered the plot and had its leaders either executed or imprisoned for life.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Colonial period |department=Paraguay |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Paraguay|url-status=live |access-date=5 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225183757/https://www.britannica.com/place/Paraguay |archive-date=25 December 2020 }}

File:1864 Mitchell Map of Brazil, Bolivia and Chili - Geographicus - SouthAmericaSouth-mitchell-1864.jpg

After Francia's death in 1840, Paraguay was ruled by various military officers under a new junta, until Carlos Antonio López (allegedly Rodríguez de Francia's nephew) came to power in 1841. López modernized Paraguay and opened it to foreign commerce. He signed a nonaggression pact with Argentina and officially declared independence of Paraguay in 1842. After López's death in 1862, power was transferred to his eldest son, Francisco Solano López.

The regime of the López family was characterized by pervasive and rigid centralism in production and distribution. There was no distinction between the public and the private spheres, and the López family ruled the country as it would a large estate.{{cite report |title=Carlos Antonio López |date=December 1988 |series=Library of Congress Country Studies |publisher=U.S. Library of Congress |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+py0019) |access-date=30 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816005342/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd%2Fcstdy%3A%40field%28DOCID+py0019%29 |archive-date=16 August 2017}}

The government exerted control on all exports. The export of yerba mate and valuable wood products maintained the balance of trade between Paraguay and the outside world.{{worldhistory|section=1665|quote=Page 630}} The Paraguayan government was extremely protectionist, never accepted loans from abroad and levied high tariffs against imported foreign products. This protectionism made the society self-sufficient, and it also avoided the debt suffered by Argentina and Brazil. Slavery existed in Paraguay, although not in great numbers, until 1844, when it was legally abolished in the new constitution.{{cite book

| last1 = Cunninghame Graham

| first1 =Robert Bontine

| year = 1933

| title = Portrait of a Dictator: Francisco Solano López

| publisher = William Heinemann Ltd.

| location = London

| author1-link =Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham

}}{{rp|39–40}}

Francisco Solano López, the son of Carlos Antonio López, replaced his father as the President-Dictator in 1862, and generally continued the political policies of his father. Both wanted to give an international image of Paraguay as "democratic and republican", but in fact, the ruling family had almost total control of all public life in the country, including church and colleges.{{rp|41–42}}

Militarily, Carlos Antonio López modernized and expanded industry and the Paraguayan Army and greatly strengthened the strategic defenses of Paraguay by developing the Fortress of Humaitá.Robert Cowley, The Reader's Encyclopedia to Military History. New York, New York: Houston Mifflin, 1996. Page 479. The government hired more than 200 foreign technicians, who installed telegraph lines and railroads to aid the expanding steel, textile, paper and ink, naval construction, weapons and gunpowder industries. The Ybycuí foundry, completed in 1850, manufactured cannons, mortars and bullets of all calibers. River warships were built in the shipyards of Asunción. Fortifications were built, especially along the Apa River and in Gran Chaco.Hooker, T.D., 2008, The Paraguayan War, Nottingham: Foundry Books, {{ISBN|1901543153}}{{rp|22}} Following the death of Carlos Antonio López, these projects continued under his son Francisco Solano.

In terms of socio-economic development, the country was dubbed "the most advanced Republic in South America", notably by the British judge and politician Sir Robert Phillimore.Robert Phillimore (1860), A Statement of the Facts of the Controversy Between the Governments of Great Britain and Paraguay, page 2. William Moore Printing, Washington D.C., USA.

According to George Thompson, Lieutenant Colonel of Engineers in the Paraguayan Army prior to and during the war, López's government was comparatively a good one for Paraguay:

{{blockquote|Probably in no other country in the world has life and property been so secure as all over Paraguay during his (Antonio Lopez's) reign. Crime was almost unknown, and when committed, immediately detected and punished. The mass of the people was, perhaps, the happiest in existence. They had hardly to do any work to gain a livelihood. Each family had its house or hut in its own ground. They planted, in a few days, enough tobacco, maize and mandioca for their own consumption [...]. Having at every hut a grove of oranges [...] and also a few cows, they were almost throughout the year under little necessity [...]. The higher classes, of course, lived more in the European way...|George Thompson, C.E.{{cite book

| last1 = Thompson

| first1 = George

| year = 1869

| title = The War in Paraguay: With a historical sketch of the country and its people and notes upon the military engineering of the war.

| publisher = Longmans and Green Co.

| location = London

|page=10}}}}

{{main|Paraguayan War|Paraguayan War casualties}}

File:FRANCISCO SOLANO LOPEZ (From a Photograph taken in 1859).jpg]]

On 12 October 1864, despite Paraguayan ultimatums, Brazil (allied with the Argentine Government under General Bartolomé Mitre and the rebellious Uruguayan colorados led by Gen. Venancio Flores) invaded the Republic of Uruguay in order to overthrow the government of that time (which was under the rule of the Blanco Party, an ally of López),{{efn|The Blanco Party of Uruguay, hardline right wing and reactionary at those days, was in the Uruguayan Government during the outbreak of the war and were allies of the Paraguayan Government.{{cite book |first=Luis Alberto |last=de Herrera |year=1927 |title=El Drama del 65 – La Culpa Mitrista |pages=11–33 |publisher=Bareiro y Ramos |location=Montevideo, Uruguay}} — classic book by Blanco leader}} thus starting the Paraguayan War.{{efn| Burton, a witness of the conflict, marks this date (12–16 October 1864) as the real beginning of the war. He writes (and it is the most logic account, considering the facts): The Brazilian Army invades the Banda Oriental, despite the protestations of President López, who declared that such invasion would be held a "casus belli".{{cite book |first=Richard Francis, Sir |last=Burton |author-link=Richard Francis Burton |year=1870 |title=Letters from the Battlefields of Paraguay |page=76 |publisher=Tinsley Brothers |location=London}}}}

The Paraguayans, led by the Marshal of the Republic Francisco Solano López, retaliated by attacking Mato Grosso on 15 December 1864 and later declared war against Argentina on 23 March 1865. The Blanco Government was toppled and replaced by a Colorado government under General Venancio Flores on 22 February 1865. Afterward, the Argentine Republic, the Empire of Brazil and the Republic of Uruguay signed the Secret Treaty of the Triple Alliance against the Paraguayan Government on 1 May 1865.{{cite book |author=Pomer, León |year=2008 |title=La Guerra del Paraguay: Estado, política y negocios |language=es |pages=240–241 |location=Buenos Aires, Argentina |publisher=Editorial Colihue}}

On 24 May 1866, the Battle of Tuyutí led to the loss of 6,000 men when a Paraguayan attack was repelled by the Allies. It was marked as the bloodiest battle in South America during the war.

The Paraguayans put up a ferocious resistance but ultimately lost in 1870 in the Battle of Cerro Corá, where Marshal Solano López refused to surrender and died in action.{{cite book |author=Hooker, T.D. |year=2008 |title=The Paraguayan War |location=Nottingham, UK |publisher=Foundry Books |pages=105–108 |isbn=978-1901543155}} The real causes of this war, which remains the bloodiest international conflict in the history of The Americas, are still highly debatable.{{efn|The classical view asserts that Francisco Solano López's expansionist and hegemonic views are the main reason for the outbreak of the conflict. The traditional Paraguayan view, held by the "lopistas" (supporters of Solano López in Paraguay and elsewhere), holds that Paraguay acted in self-defense and for the protection of the equilibrium of the Plate Basin. This view is usually contested by the "anti-lopistas" (known in Paraguay as "legionarios"), who favored the "Triple Alliance". Revisionist views from right and left national populists put a great emphasis on the influence of the British Empire, a view that a majority of historians reject.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}}}

File:TuyutiDetail.jpg, May 1866]]

Paraguay lost 25–33% of its territory to Argentina and Brazil, paid an enormous war debt, and sold large amounts of national properties to stabilize its internal budget. The worst consequence of the war was the catastrophic loss of population. At least 50% of Paraguayans died during the conflict, numbers to which it took many decades for the country to return. Of the disaster suffered by the Paraguayans at the outcome of the war, William D. Rubinstein wrote:

"The normal estimate is that of a Paraguayan population of somewhere between 450,000 and 900,000, only 220,000 survived the war, of whom only 28,000 were adult males."{{Cite book |last=Rubinsein |first=W.D. |year=2004 |title=Genocide: a history |publisher=Pearson Education |page=94 |isbn=0-582-50601-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nMMAk4VwLLwC |url-status=live |access-date=18 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910110549/https://books.google.com/books?id=nMMAk4VwLLwC |archive-date=10 September 2015}}

During the pillaging of Asunción in 1869, the Imperial Brazilian Army packed up and transported the Paraguayan National Archives to Rio de Janeiro.{{cite book |last=Sanchez Quell |first=Hipólito |title=Los 50.000 Documentos Paraguayos Llevados al Brasil |publisher=Ediciones Comuneros |location=Asunción, Paraguay |year=2006}}{{efn|Some of the documents taken by Brasil during the war, were returned to Paraguay in the collection known as "Colección de Río Branco", nowadays in the National Archives of Asunción, Paraguay.}} Brazil's records from the war have remained classified. This has made Paraguayan history in the colonial and early national periods difficult to research and study.{{cite magazine |last=Weinstein |first=Barbara |title=Let the sunshine in: Government records and national insecurities |url=http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2007/0704/0704pre1.cfm |url-status=live |department=From the President |magazine=Perspectives on History |publisher=American Historical Association |edition=online |volume=45 |issue=4 |date=1 April 2007 |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008191444/http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2007/0704/0704pre1.cfm |archive-date=8 October 2012}}

File:Chacokrieg.jpg was the site of the Chaco War (1932–35), in which Bolivia lost most of the disputed territory to Paraguay]]

In 1904 the Liberal revolution against the rule of Colorados broke out. The Liberal rule started a period of great political instability. Between 1904 and 1954 Paraguay had thirty-one presidents, most of whom were removed from office by force.{{cite report |last1=Hanratty |first1=Dannin M. |last2=Meditz |first2=Sandra W. |year=1988 |title=Paraguay: A country study |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Library of Congress / GPO |url=http://countrystudies.us/paraguay/2.htm |url-status=live |access-date=19 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919163833/http://countrystudies.us/paraguay/2.htm |archive-date=19 September 2011}} Conflicts between the factions of the ruling Liberal party led to the Paraguayan Civil War of 1922.

The unresolved border conflict with Bolivia over the Chaco region finally erupted in the early 1930s in the Chaco War. After both sides suffered great losses, Paraguay defeated Bolivia and established its sovereignty over most of the disputed Chaco region. After the war, military officers used popular dissatisfaction with the Liberal politicians to seize the power for themselves. On 17 February 1936, the February Revolution brought colonel Rafael Franco to power. Between 1940 and 1948, the country was ruled by general Higinio Morínigo. Dissatisfaction with his rule resulted in the Paraguayan civil war of 1947.{{cite web |title=Paraguay civil war 1947 |website=Onwar.com |url=http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/pat/paraguay/fparaguay1947.htm |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103214118/http://onwar.com/aced/nation/pat/paraguay/fparaguay1947.htm |archive-date=3 January 2010|url-status=dead}} In its aftermath Alfredo Stroessner began involvement in a string of plots, which resulted in his military coup d'état of 4 May 1954. In the aftermath of World War II, Paraguay became a hideout for Nazi fugitives accused of war crimes.

{{see also|El Stronato|Operation Condor}}

A series of unstable governments ensued until the establishment in 1954 of the regime of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who remained in office for more than three decades until 1989. Paraguay was modernized to some extent under Stroessner's regime, although his rule was marked by extensive human rights abuses.{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Bernstein |date=17 August 2006 |title=Alfredo Stroessner; Paraguayan dictator |newspaper=The Washington Post |location=Washington, DC |access-date=2 May 2010 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/16/AR2006081601729.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516121443/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/16/AR2006081601729.html |archive-date=16 May 2011}}

Stroessner and the Colorado party ruled the country from 1954 to 1989. The dictator oversaw an era of economic expansion, but also had a poor human rights and environmental record (see "Political History"). Paraguay actively participated in Operation Condor.{{cite web |last=Dinges |first=John |title=Operation Condor |website=latinamericanstudies.org |publisher=Columbia University |url=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/chile/operation-condor.htm |url-status=live |access-date=6 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722031734/http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/chile/operation-condor.htm |archive-date=22 July 2018}} Torture and death for political opponents was routine. After his overthrow, the Colorado continued to dominate national politics until 2008.

The splits in the Colorado Party in the 1980s, and the prevailing conditions – Stroessner's advanced age, the character of the regime, the economic downturn, and international isolation – were catalysts for anti-regime demonstrations and statements by the opposition prior to the 1988 general elections.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

PLRA leader Domingo Laíno served as the focal point of the opposition in the second half of the 1980s. The government's effort to isolate Laíno by exiling him in 1982 had backfired. On his sixth attempt to reenter the country in 1986, Laíno returned with three television crews from the U.S., a former United States ambassador to Paraguay, and a group of Uruguayan and Argentine congressmen. Despite the international contingent, the police violently barred Laíno's return.{{cite web |title=Paraguay 1987, Chapter 4 |url=http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Paraguay87eng/chap.4.htm |website=Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (cidh.org) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507100105/http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Paraguay87eng/chap.4.htm |archive-date=7 May 2021}}

The Stroessner regime relented in April 1987, and permitted Laíno to return to Asunción. Laíno took the lead in organizing demonstrations and reducing infighting among the opposition party. The opposition was unable to reach agreement on a common strategy regarding the elections, with some parties advocating abstention, and others calling for blank voting. The parties held numerous 'lightning demonstrations' (mítines relámpagos), especially in rural areas. Such demonstrations were gathered and quickly disbanded before the arrival of the police.

In response to the upsurge in opposition activities, Stroessner condemned the Accord for advocating "sabotage of the general elections and disrespect of the law". He used national police and civilian vigilantes of the Colorado Party to break up demonstrations. A number of opposition leaders were imprisoned or otherwise harassed. {{ill|Hermes Rafael Saguier|es}}, another key leader of the PLRA, was imprisoned for four months in 1987 on charges of sedition. In early February 1988, police arrested 200 people attending a National Coordinating Committee meeting in Coronel Oviedo. Laíno and several other opposition figures were arrested before dawn on the day of the election, 14 February, and held for twelve hours. The government declared Stroessner's reelection with 89% of the vote.{{cite news |title=Paraguayan wins his eighth term |date=15 February 1988 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/15/world/paraguayan-wins-his-eighth-term.html?scp=3&sq=Paraguay%20february%201988&st=cse |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816064442/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/15/world/paraguayan-wins-his-eighth-term.html?scp=3&sq=Paraguay%20february%201988&st=cse |archive-date=16 August 2017}}

The opposition attributed the results in part to the virtual Colorado monopoly on the mass media. They noted that 53% of those polled indicated that there was an "uneasiness" in Paraguayan society. 74% believed that the political situation needed changes, including 45% who wanted a substantial or total change. Finally, 31% stated that they planned to abstain from voting in the February elections.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}}

On 3 February 1989, Stroessner was overthrown in a military coup headed by General Andrés Rodríguez. As president, Rodríguez instituted political, legal, and economic reforms and initiated a rapprochement with the international community. Reflecting the deep hunger of the rural poor for land, hundreds immediately occupied thousands of acres of unused territories belonging to Stroessner and his associates; by mid-1990, 19,000 families occupied {{convert|340000|acres|-3|abbr=on}}. At the time, 2.06 million people lived in rural areas, more than half of the 4.1 million total population, and most were landless.{{cite journal |author=Nagel, Beverly Y. |year=1999 |title='Unleashing the fury': The cultural discourse of rural violence and land rights in Paraguay |journal=Comparative Studies in Society and History |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=148–181 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S0010417599001905 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |s2cid=146491025 |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1921 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016023308/http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1921 |archive-date=16 October 2015|issn=0010-4175 }}

The June 1992 constitution established a democratic system of government and dramatically improved protection of fundamental human rights. In May 1993, Colorado Party candidate Juan Carlos Wasmosy was elected as Paraguay's first civilian president in almost forty years, in what international observers deemed free and fair elections.

With support from the United States, the Organization of American States, and other countries in the region, the Paraguayan people rejected an April 1996 attempt by then Army Chief General Lino Oviedo to oust President Wasmosy.

Oviedo was nominated as the Colorado candidate for president in the 1998 election. However, when the Supreme Court upheld in April his conviction on charges related to the 1996 coup attempt, he was not allowed to run and was detained in jail. His former running mate, Raúl Cubas, became the Colorado Party's candidate, and was elected in May in elections deemed by international observers to be free and fair. One of Cubas' first acts after taking office in August was to commute Oviedo's sentence and release him. In December 1998, Paraguay's Supreme Court declared these actions unconstitutional. In this tense atmosphere, the murder of Vice President and long-time Oviedo rival Luis María Argaña on 23 March 1999, led the Chamber of Deputies to impeach Cubas the next day.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} On 26 March, eight student anti-government demonstrators were murdered, widely believed to have been carried out by Oviedo supporters. This increased opposition to Cubas, who resigned on 28 March. Senate President Luis González Macchi, a Cubas opponent, was peacefully sworn in as president the same day.

In 2003, Nicanor Duarte was elected as president.

For the 2008 general elections, the Colorado Party was favored in polls. Their candidate was Minister of Education Blanca Ovelar, the first woman to be nominated as a candidate for a major party in Paraguayan history. After sixty years of Colorado rule, voters chose Fernando Lugo, a former Roman Catholic Bishop and not a professional politician in civil government, and a member of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, Paraguay's largest opposition party. Lugo was an adherent of liberation theology. Lugo achieved a historic victory in Paraguay's presidential election, defeating the ruling party candidate, and ending 61 years of conservative rule. Lugo won with nearly 41% of the vote, compared to almost 31% for Blanca Ovelar of the Colorado party.{{Cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.electstud.2008.10.001|author=Nickson, Andrew|year=2009|title=The general election in Paraguay, April 2008|journal=Journal of Electoral Studies|volume=28|issue=1|pages=145–9}} Outgoing President Nicanor Duarte Frutos hailed the moment as the first time in the history of the nation that a government had transferred power to opposition forces in a constitutional and peaceful fashion.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Lugo was sworn in on 15 August 2008. The Lugo administration set its two major priorities as the reduction of corruption and economic inequality.{{cite web |title=Paraguay |website=State.gov |date=15 March 2012 |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1841.htm#econ |url-status=live |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122194534/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1841.htm#econ |archive-date=22 January 2017}}

File:Saludo de Piñera a Cartes (cropped).jpg, 15 August 2013]]

Political instability following Lugo's election and disputes within his cabinet encouraged some renewal of popular support for the Colorado Party. Reports suggested that the businessman Horacio Cartes became the new political figure amid disputes. Despite the US Drug Enforcement Administration's strong accusations against Cartes related to drug trafficking, he continued to amass followers in the political arena.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

On 14 January 2011, the Colorado Party convention nominated Horacio Cartes as the presidential candidate for the party. However, the party's constitution did not allow it.{{clarify|date=April 2012}}

On 21 June 2012, impeachment proceedings against President Lugo began in the country's lower house, which was controlled by his opponents. Lugo was given less than twenty-four hours to prepare for the proceedings and only two hours in which to mount a defense.{{cite news |title=What will Washington do about Fernando Lugo's ouster in Paraguay? |first=Mark |last=Weisbrot |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/22/washington-fernando-lugo-ouster-paraguay |newspaper=The Guardian |date=22 June 2012|access-date=23 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910143002/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/22/washington-fernando-lugo-ouster-paraguay |archive-date=10 September 2014 |url-status=live}} Impeachment was quickly approved and the resulting trial in Paraguay's Senate, also controlled by the opposition, ended with the removal of Lugo from office and Vice President Federico Franco assuming the duties of president.{{cite news |title=Paraguayan Senate removes president |first=Mariano |last=Castillo |url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/22/world/americas/paraguay-president/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=22 June 2012 |access-date=22 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623040625/http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/22/world/americas/paraguay-president/index.html |archive-date=23 June 2012 |url-status=live}} Lugo's rivals blamed him for the deaths of 17 people – eight police officers and nine farmers – in armed clashes after police were ambushed by armed peasants when enforcing an eviction order against rural trespassers.{{cite news |title=Paraguay's president vows to face impeachment effort |first=Daniela |last=Desantis |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-paraguay-lugo-idUSBRE85K13N20120621 |work=Reuters |edition=US |date=21 June 2012 |access-date=21 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208094438/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/21/us-paraguay-lugo-idUSBRE85K13N20120621 |archive-date=8 February 2013 |url-status=live}}

On 14 May 2011, Paraguay celebrated its bicentenary on the 200th anniversary of independence from the Spanish Empire as a sovereign state.

Lugo's supporters gathered outside Congress to protest the decision as a "politically motivated coup d'état". Lugo's removal from office on 22 June 2012 is considered by UNASUR and other neighboring countries, especially those currently governed by leftist leaders, as a coup d'état.{{cite web |url=http://www.unasursg.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=698%3Acomunicado-asuncion-22-de-junio-de-2012&catid=68%3Acomunicados&Itemid=346 |title=COMUNICADO UNASUR Asunción, 22 de Junio de 2012 |language=es |date=22 June 2012 |publisher=UNASUR |access-date=23 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627050748/http://www.unasursg.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=698:comunicado-asuncion-22-de-junio-de-2012&catid=68:comunicados&Itemid=346 |archive-date=27 June 2012}} However, the Organization of American States, which sent a mission to Paraguay to gather information, concluded that the impeachment process was not a coup d'état, as it had been carried out in accordance with the Constitution of Paraguay.Halvorssen, Thor, [https://www.forbes.com/sites/thorhalvorssen/2012/07/03/paraguay-is-not-honduras/#57bce3c72308 Paraguay is not Honduras: President Lugo's Impeachment was not a Coup] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730203938/https://www.forbes.com/sites/thorhalvorssen/2012/07/03/paraguay-is-not-honduras/#57bce3c72308|date=30 July 2018}}, Forbes.com, 3 July 2012, retrieved 30 July 2018

From August 2013 to 15 August 2018, the President of Paraguay was Horacio Cartes.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/world/americas/horacio-cartes-wins-paraguays-presidential-election.html|title=Conservative Tobacco Magnate Wins Presidential Race in Paraguay|first=Simon|last=Romero|date=22 April 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=7 April 2021|archive-date=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102234322/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/world/americas/horacio-cartes-wins-paraguays-presidential-election.html|url-status=live}} Since 15 August 2018, the President of Paraguay has been Mario Abdo Benítez. They are both from the conservative Colorado Party.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45200965|title=New Paraguayan President Abdo Benítez sworn in|date=15 August 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=1 April 2021|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415203558/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45200965|url-status=live}} President Mario Abdo enjoyed a close relationship with the Brazilian far-right president (in power 2019–2022), Jair Bolsonaro.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-paraguay-president-idUSKCN1V421O|title=Paraguayan president's popularity plummets amid Brazil-linked political crisis|first=Mariel|last=Cristaldo|date=14 August 2019|work=reuters.com|access-date=1 June 2021|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215301/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-paraguay-president-idUSKCN1V421O|url-status=live}} In February 2019, President Mario Abdo Benitez was at Bolsonaro's side when Bolsonaro praised Paraguayan military dictator Alfredo Stroessner, calling him "a man of vision".{{cite news |title=Brazil's Bolsonaro praises late Paraguay dictator Stroessner |website=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/brazils-bolsonaro-praises-late-paraguay-dictator-stroessner-61386307 |url-status=live |access-date=1 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214208/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/brazils-bolsonaro-praises-late-paraguay-dictator-stroessner-61386307 |archive-date=2 June 2021}} In 2021, Paraguay became the first country in South America to produce electric energy in its 100% renewable energy supply. In May 2023, Santiago Peña of the long-ruling Colorado Party, won the presidential election to succeed Mario Abdo as the next President of Paraguay.{{cite news |title=Amid protests, authorities uphold legitimacy of Paraguay election |website=al Jazeera (aljazeera.com) |language=en |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/3/amid-protests-authorities-uphold-legitimacy-of-paraguay-election |access-date=26 May 2023 |archive-date=3 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603212859/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/3/amid-protests-authorities-uphold-legitimacy-of-paraguay-election |url-status=live }} On 15 August 2023, Santiago Peña was sworn in as Paraguay's new president.{{cite news |last1=Desantis |first1=Daniela |last2=Elliott |first2=Lucinda |last3=Elliott |first3=Lucinda |title=Paraguay's President Pena sworn in, Taiwan VP in attendance |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/new-paraguayan-president-santiago-pena-sworn-2023-08-15/ |work=Reuters |date=16 August 2023 |language=en |access-date=18 August 2023 |archive-date=18 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818142608/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/new-paraguayan-president-santiago-pena-sworn-2023-08-15/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Geography of Paraguay}}

File:Paraguay regions map 2.svg (Chaco)}}]]

File:Salto_del_Ñacunday_-_panoramio.jpg, Southern Paraguay]]

Paraguay is divided by the Río Paraguay into two well differentiated geographic regions. The eastern region (Región Oriental); and the western region, officially called Western Paraguay (Región Occidental) and also known as the Chaco, which is part of the Gran Chaco. The country lies between latitudes 19° and 28°S, and longitudes 54° and 63°W.

The terrain consists mostly of grassy plains and wooded hills in the eastern region. To the west are mostly low, marshy plains. Paraguay contains six terrestrial ecoregions: Alto Paraná Atlantic forests, Chaco, Cerrado, Humid Chaco, Pantanal, and Paraná flooded savanna.{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–45|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}} It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.39/10, ranking it 74th globally out of 172 countries.{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}} The Guarani Aquifer is an important exorheic basin to the region.{{cite web|url=https://www.fundacionaquae.org/acuifero-guarani/|title=El Acuífero Guaraní, gran reserva de agua dulce|website=Fundación Aquae|access-date=12 May 2021|archive-date=12 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512150341/https://www.fundacionaquae.org/acuifero-guarani/|url-status=live}}

Although Paraguay is landlocked, there are a number of noteworthy lakeside beaches.{{cite web|url=https://www.minube.com/tag/playas-paraguay-p160|title=The best beaches of Paraguay|language=es|access-date=16 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129213113/http://www.minube.com/tag/playas-paraguay-p160|archive-date=29 January 2014|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Climate of Paraguay}}

File:Koppen-Geiger Map PRY present.svg

The overall climate is tropical to subtropical. Like most lands in the region, Paraguay has only wet and dry periods. Winds play a major role in influencing Paraguay's weather: between October and March, warm winds blow from the Amazon Basin in the north, while the period between May and August brings cold winds from the Andes.

The absence of mountain ranges to provide a natural barrier allows winds to develop speeds as high as {{convert|161|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}. This also leads to significant changes in temperature within a short span of time; between April and September, temperatures will sometimes drop below freezing. January is the hottest summer month, with an average daily temperature of 28.9 degrees Celsius (84 degrees F).

Rainfall varies dramatically across the country, with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, and semi-arid conditions in the far west. The far eastern forest belt receives an average of {{convert|170|cm|in|abbr=off|sp=us}} of rain annually, while the western Chaco region typically averages no more than {{convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} a year. The rains in the west tend to be irregular and evaporate quickly, contributing to the aridity of the area.

Wildlife in Paraguay include marsh deer, monkeys, armadillos, anteaters, otters, wild boars, tapirs, jaguars, ocelots, bats, and the coypu.

{{Main|Politics of Paraguay|Human rights in Paraguay|Foreign relations of Paraguay}}

Paraguay is a representative democratic republic, with a multi-party system and separation of powers across three branches. Executive power is exercised solely by the President, who is head of state and head of government. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the National Congress. The judiciary is vested on tribunals and Courts of Civil Law and a nine-member Supreme Court of Justice, all of them independent of the executive and the legislature.

Since the end of the 1947 civil war, the country's politics have generally been dominated by the conservative Colorado Party.

{{main|Armed Forces of Paraguay}}

File:Paraguayan marines at Ancon Marine Base 2010-07-19.JPG

The military of Paraguay consist of an army, navy (including naval aviation and marine corps) and air force. Paraguay's constitution establishes the president of Paraguay as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.{{cite web|title=Constitution of 1992|url=http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Paraguay/|access-date=18 December 2017}}

Paraguay has compulsory military service; all 18-year-old males, as well as 17-year-old males in the year of their 18th birthday, are liable for one year of active duty. While the constitution allows for conscientious objection, no enabling legislation has yet been approved.

Paraguay has partnered with Argentina, Brazil, and the United States in regional anti-terrorism and anti-narcotics efforts.{{cite web|title=U.S. Relations With Paraguay|url=https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-paraguay/|access-date=3 December 2020|website=United States Department of State|archive-date=1 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601071053/http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1841.htm|url-status=live}} In July 2005, U.S. special forces began arriving at Paraguay's Mariscal Estigarribia air base to support joint training and humanitarian operations{{Cite news |title=U.S. military moves in Paraguay rattle regional relations |publisher=International Relations Center |date=14 December 2005 |url=http://americas.irc-online.org/am/2991|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612192202/http://americas.irc-online.org/am/2991 |archive-date=12 June 2007 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/zona/2005/09/11/z-03615.htm |title=U.S. marines put a foot in Paraguay |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327063628/http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/zona/2005/09/11/z-03615.htm |archive-date=27 March 2009 |newspaper=El Clarín |date=9 September 2005 |language=es}} In 2019, Asuncion hosted the first meeting of the Regional Security Mechanism (RSM), which promotes cooperation between Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and the U.S. in addressing transnational crime and terrorism in the "triple frontier" region.{{cite web |date=13 November 2019 |title=Expert meeting of the Regional Security Mechanism (RSM) in Asuncion |url=https://py.usembassy.gov/expert-meeting-of-the-regional-security-mechanism-rsm-in-asuncion/ |access-date=3 December 2020 |website=U.S. Embassy in Paraguay |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025080332/https://py.usembassy.gov/expert-meeting-of-the-regional-security-mechanism-rsm-in-asuncion/|url-status=live}}

Paraguay is the 73rd most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024 Global Peace Index.{{Cite web|url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf|title=2024 Global Peace Index|accessdate=18 September 2024}}

{{Main|Departments of Paraguay|Districts of Paraguay}}

Paraguay consists of seventeen departments and one capital district (distrito capital).

It is also divided into two regions: The "Occidental Region" or Chaco (Boquerón, Alto Paraguay and Presidente Hayes), and the "Oriental Region" (the other departments and the capital district).

These are the departments, with their capitals, population, area and the number of districts:

{{Paraguay labelled map}}

{{Main|Economy of Paraguay}}

For many years, the country's image was associated with the illicit trade in electronic products, weapons and drugs. However, this scenario began to change in the 2000s, with the rise of legalized businesses such as the production of soy, maize, beef, among others. Data from the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) showed that, in 2006, exports related to the triangulation trade (China-Paraguay-Brazil), treated by Brazil – in most cases – as smuggling and embezzlement, represented 22% of the country's GDP. In 2016, this percentage dropped to 12%. With higher tax collections through legalized employment, the country has been able to improve its infrastructure, which was precarious. Paraguay has an economic development policy based on exports and dependence on the Brazilian market prevails. The triangulation trade has in its essence the export of products originating in China, with Brazil as its main destination. The energy exported is essentially the hydroelectric surplus generated by the Itaipu Power Plant, for which Brazil is the main buyer. And maquilas, whose main investors are Brazilians, also have a large consumer market in Brazil for their products. Therefore, in these three pillars of Paraguay's development strategy, there is the outstanding characteristic of reexports. In the case of agricultural commodities, it is the export of products originating in Paraguay.{{Cite journal|last1=Barros da Costa|first1=Alexandre|last2=Batista de Oliveira|first2=Gilson|date=15 April 2019|title=A estratégia de desenvolvimento do Paraguai no contexto das teorias de crescimento e desenvolvimento regional|url=https://www.eumed.net/rev/oel/2019/04/desenvolvimento-paraguai.html|journal=Observatorio de la Economía Latinoamericana|language=pt|issue=abril|access-date=28 July 2022|archive-date=28 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928182348/https://www.eumed.net/rev/oel/2019/04/desenvolvimento-paraguai.html|url-status=live}}

In the 2010s, the economy, largely directed towards soybean production, grew by an average of 4%. The economic growth did not, however, reduce poverty, which in 2018, according to official figures, reached more than 26% of the population. According to The New York Times, Paraguay is "one of the Latin American countries where the gap between rich and poor has widened the most in recent years." In the countryside, 85% of agricultural land is owned by 2.6% of the owners. In addition, people of indigenous descent have been expelled to make way for soybean companies.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/americas/boom-times-in-paraguay-leave-many-behind.html |title=Boom Times in Paraguay Leave Many Behind |work=The New York Times |last=Romero |first=Simon |date=24 April 2013 |access-date=2 July 2021 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=29 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629210913/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/americas/boom-times-in-paraguay-leave-many-behind.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.bcp.gov.py |title=BCP – Banco Central del Paraguay |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423204032/https://www.bcp.gov.py/|archive-date=23 April 2020 |website=Bcp.gov.py |access-date=18 June 2016}}

The soybean export market is largely dominated by multinationals (Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge Limited, etc.) and therefore benefits few Paraguayans. Export companies and landowners pay little tax. For example, a study by ECLAC (a UN agency) released in 2018 indicates that Paraguay is one of the countries where companies participate the least in the state budget.{{cite web |url=https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/43566/4/S1800302_es.pdf |title=La ineficiencia de la desigualdad |date=2018 |publisher=United Nations |language=es |access-date=14 July 2023 |archive-date=10 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210020927/https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/43566/4/S1800302_es.pdf |url-status=live }}

Pesticides and other chemicals are used heavily in soybean fields. The country's environmental standards are not met by companies and agrochemicals contaminate the environment. In 2019, the United Nations Human Rights Committee issued a ruling urging Paraguay to undertake an investigation into the massive fumigation of agrochemicals and the poisoning of the population. However, the situation is not improving: "The high level of political corruption, the extreme fragility of institutions, the high level of social vulnerability, the omnipotence of economic interests in political decisions, as well as the location [of the country] in the geographic heart of the Southern Cone and its abundance of natural resources, make Paraguay an attractive target for imperial geopolitical interests," says sociologist Tomás Palau.{{cite web | url=https://nuso.org/articulo/la-politica-y-su-trasfondo-el-poder-real-en-paraguay/ | title=La política y su trasfondo. El poder real en Paraguay | Nueva Sociedad | date=September 2010 | access-date=9 November 2022 | archive-date=9 November 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109211835/https://nuso.org/articulo/la-politica-y-su-trasfondo-el-poder-real-en-paraguay/ | url-status=live }} Academic José Luis Insfrán also notes that the country's politicians "are subsidized by big business; they are the ones who implement the policies."

In 2005, the International Monetary Fund stated that fewer than 10% of workers in Paraguay participate in the pension system, 95% of which is administered by two institutions. Both are financed on a pay as you go system by worker contributions; the first, {{ill|Instituto de Previsión Social|es|Instituto de Previsión Social (Paraguay)}} is for private sector employees, and the {{lang|es|caja fiscal}} for public employees (including university professors, teachers, judicial employees, army officers and police officers) and veterans of the Chaco War (or their descendants).{{Cite book|last1=Franks|first1=Jeffrey R.|last2=Benelli|first2=Roberto|last3=Mercer-Blackman|first3=Valerie|last4=Sab|first4=Randa|title=Paraguay: Corruption, Reform, and the Financial System|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X5vBZZIeg44C |publisher=International Monetary Fund |year=2005 |isbn=9781451980356 |access-date=9 August 2019|archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728054516/https://books.google.com/books?id=X5vBZZIeg44C |url-status=live}}

File:Ciudad de San Bernardino.jpgs in Paraguay, San Bernardino, which was founded by German settlers in the 19th century, has one of the highest purchasing power parities in the country.]]

The market economy is distinguished by a large informal sector, featuring reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Nonetheless, over the last 10 years the Paraguayan economy diversified dramatically, with the energy, auto parts and clothing industries leading the way.{{cite web|title=Paraguay un milagro americano|url=http://paraguay-un-milagro-americano.blogspot.com|access-date=15 January 2015|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526011128/http://paraguay-un-milagro-americano.blogspot.com/|archive-date=26 May 2015|url-status=live}}

Paraguay's most important urban areas are located along the Argentina-Paraguay border: Asunción, Alberdi, Encarnación, Pilar and Ciudad del Este, the latter being the third most important free commercial zone in the world, only trailing behind Miami and Hong Kong.{{cite web|url=http://www.exportimportstatistics.com/country-profile/Paraguay-profile.aspx|title=Paraguay|website=exportimportstatistics.com|access-date=30 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130204636/http://www.exportimportstatistics.com/country-profile/Paraguay-profile.aspx|archive-date=30 January 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://fronteras.dnm.gov.ar/centros/111-posadas-encarnacion-misiones |title=Centro de Frontera • Posadas - Encarnación, Misiones |publisher=Ministry of the Interior (Argentina) |language=es |access-date=12 November 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929180546/http://fronteras.dnm.gov.ar/centros/111-posadas-encarnacion-misiones }} A large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. The economy grew rapidly between 2003 and 2013 as growing world demand for commodities combined with high prices and favorable weather to support Paraguay's commodity-based export expansion.

In 2012, Paraguay's government introduced the MERCOSUR (FOCEM) system in order to stimulate the economy and job growth through a partnership with both Brazil and Argentina.{{Cite web|date=14 April 2012|title=SUBSECRETARIA DE ESTADO DE ECONOMIA - ¿Qué es FOCEM?|url=http://www.economia.gov.py/v2/index.php?tag=que-es-focem|access-date=8 February 2023|archive-date=14 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414050706/http://www.economia.gov.py/v2/index.php?tag=que-es-focem|url-status=dead}}{{update after|2021|7|14}}

The Central Bank of Paraguay is Paraguay's highest monetary authority, and the country's governing body, in finances and economics. Its headquarters are in Asunción's Carmelitas neighborhood.

Paraguay is the sixth-largest soybean producer in the world,{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/paraguay/ |title=Paraguay |date=30 September 2020 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=U.S. Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=30 September 2020 |archive-date=31 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231111825/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/pa.html |url-status=live}} the second-largest producer of stevia and the ninth-largest exporter of beef.{{cite web |url=http://agrarias.unca.edu.ar/wp-content/uploads/2018/Revista%20de%20Divulgaci%C3%B3n%20T%C3%A9cnica%20Agr%C3%ADcola%20y%20Agroindustrial/Revista-51-Estevia.pdf |title=ESTUDIO DE MERCADO DE Stevia Rebaudiana bertoni (YERBA DULCE) |language=es |issn=1852-7086 |year=2013 |publisher=National University of Catamarca |access-date=30 September 2020 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415220902/http://agrarias.unca.edu.ar/wp-content/uploads/2018/Revista%20de%20Divulgaci%C3%B3n%20T%C3%A9cnica%20Agr%C3%ADcola%20y%20Agroindustrial/Revista-51-Estevia.pdf |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://beef2live.com/story-world-beef-exports-ranking-countries-0-106903 |title=Ranking of countries that export the most beef |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture |website=beef2live.com |access-date=5 July 2021 |archive-date=10 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110123128/https://beef2live.com/story-world-beef-exports-ranking-countries-0-106903 |url-status=usurped}}

In 2018, in addition to soy, the country had a large production of maize and sugar cane, where it positioned itself as the 21st largest producer in the world; other important cultures of the country are cassava, rice, wheat, orange, yerba mate, and sorghum. In livestock, Paraguay produced, in 2020, 481 thousand tons of beef, being the 26th largest producer in the world.{{cite web| url = http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL/| title = Paraguay production in 2018, by FAO| access-date = 11 July 2022| archive-date = 12 November 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161112130804/http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL/| url-status = live}}

Soy farming was largely introduced by Brazilians: in 2019, almost 70% of soy and rice producers in Paraguay were people from Brazil, or descendants of Brazilians (the so-called brasiguaios). The first Brazilian producers began to arrive in the country in the 1980s. Before the Brazilian influx, much of the land in Paraguay was uncultivated.{{cite news |title=Brasileños protagonizan conflictos de tierras en el Paraguay |language=es |trans-title=Brazilians lead land conflicts in Paraguay |date=12 November 2017 |series=Latifundistas × Campesinos |website=deolhonosruralistas.com.br |url=https://deolhonosruralistas.com.br/deolhonoparaguai/2017/11/12/brasilenos-protagonizan-conflictos-de-tierras-en-el-paraguay/ |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122201919/https://deolhonosruralistas.com.br/deolhonoparaguai/2017/11/12/brasilenos-protagonizan-conflictos-de-tierras-en-el-paraguay/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Carneri |first1=Santi |date=28 January 2019 |title=Una comunidad indígena denuncia el desalojo de sus tierras en Paraguay por pistoleros brasileños |language=es |trans-title=An indigenous community denounces the eviction of their lands in Paraguay by Brazilian gunmen |newspaper=El País |url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2019/01/24/america/1548358447_334189.html |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122201917/https://elpais.com/internacional/2019/01/24/america/1548358447_334189.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Brasileña que prohíbe uso del guaraní en su estancia será investigada por el Ministerio de Trabajo |language=es |trans-title=Brazilian farmer who bans the use of Guarani in her estate will be investigated by the Ministry of Labour |website=El Nacional Paraguay |date=2 March 2021 |url=https://www.elnacional.com.py/nacionales/2021/03/01/brasilena-que-prohibe-uso-del-guarani-en-su-estancia-sera-investigada-por-el-ministerio-de-trabajo/#:~:text=Brasile%C3%B1a%20habr%C3%ADa%20amenazado%20a%20sus,de%20Curuguaty%2C%20Departamento%20de%20Canindey%C3%BA%20. |access-date=30 March 2021 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122201919/https://www.elnacional.com.py/nacionales/2021/03/01/brasilena-que-prohibe-uso-del-guarani-en-su-estancia-sera-investigada-por-el-ministerio-de-trabajo/#:~:text=Brasile%C3%B1a%20habr%C3%ADa%20amenazado%20a%20sus,de%20Curuguaty%2C%20Departamento%20de%20Canindey%C3%BA%20. |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Paraguay: Comunidad indígena amenazada por desalojo ilegal y atacada con pesticidas |language=es |trans-title=Paraguay: Indigenous community threatened with illegal eviction and attacked with pesticides |date=11 November 2009 |website=Amnesty International |url=https://www.amnesty.org/es/latest/press-release/2009/11/paraguay-indigenas-amenazados-atacados-con-pesticidas-20091111/ |access-date=30 May 2018 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122201921/https://www.amnesty.org/es/latest/press-release/2009/11/paraguay-indigenas-amenazados-atacados-con-pesticidas-20091111/ |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |title=Green going gone: The tragic deforestation of the Chaco |date=28 July 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/green-going-gone-the-tragic-deforestation-of-the-chaco-116951/ |access-date=28 July 2014 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122201917/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/green-going-gone-the-tragic-deforestation-of-the-chaco-116951/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Paraguay: Sanción por talar bosques indígenas |language=Guarani |trans-title=Paraguay: Penalty for cutting down indigenous forests |date=11 May 2010 |website=BBC News Mundo |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=11 May 2010 |url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/america_latina/2010/05/100511_paraguay_indigenas_ganaderos_ea |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122201921/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/america_latina/2010/05/100511_paraguay_indigenas_ganaderos_ea |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|title=Brasiguaios dominam produção de soja e arroz no Paraguai|url=https://globorural.globo.com/Noticias/Agricultura/noticia/2019/03/brasiguaios-dominam-producao-de-soja-e-arroz-no-paraguai.html|access-date=8 February 2023|website=Revista Globo Rural|date=23 August 2022|language=pt-br|archive-date=26 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726011522/https://globorural.globo.com/Noticias/Agricultura/noticia/2019/03/brasiguaios-dominam-producao-de-soja-e-arroz-no-paraguai.html|url-status=live}}

More than 80% of the cultivable land is owned by 2.6% of landowners. Nearly 8 million hectares were illegally granted, in violation of the agrarian law, to regime supporters during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner (1954–1989), and the state has done nothing since to identify the beneficiaries of this illicit enrichment. These owners include generals, businessmen, and politicians, former presidents of the Republic, Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle, and even the ruling Colorado Party. More than 130 peasant leaders have been assassinated since the fall of Stroessner in 1989.Paraguay, un país devorado por la soja, enero de 2014

The methods of appropriating land in Paraguay are numerous. Economist Luis Rojas says that the most common method is to buy land from small producers: "The peasant is offered a sum of money he has never seen in his life. He imagines it's a fortune, leaves for the city, spends it all in three or four months and makes the misery belts grow, because there is no work." Oxfam estimates that 900,000 people have been evicted from the countryside in the last ten years,{{when|reason=What does it mean "last 10 years", from 2000 to 2010?|date=November 2023}} which represents nearly one-seventh of the population. This crowd of landless peasants is swelling the poverty belts around Asunción, the capital.

The World Bank lists the top producing countries each year, based on the total value of production. By the 2019 list, Paraguay had the 79th most valuable industry in the world ($6.9 billion).{{cite web |title=Manufacturing, value added (current US$) |department=Data |website=data.worldbank.org |publisher=World Bank |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true |access-date=8 February 2023 |archive-date=7 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107135049/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true |url-status=live }} The country was the seventh largest producer of soybean oil in the world in 2018.{{cite web |title=FAOSTAT |website=fao.org |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |access-date=8 February 2023 |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112130804/https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |url-status=live }}

The mineral industry of Paraguay produces about 25% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about 31% of the labor force. Production of cement, iron ore, and steel occurs commonly throughout Paraguay's industrial sector. The growth of the industry was further fueled by the maquila industry, with large industrial complexes located in the eastern part of the country. Paraguay put in place many incentives aimed to attract industries to the country. One of them is the so-called "Maquila law" by which companies can relocate to Paraguay, enjoying minimal tax rates.{{Cite web |last=Bedford |first=Russell |date=2018-07-13 |title=Maquila Law: know the benefits of the paraguayan project |url=https://russellbedford.com.br/maquila-law-know-the-benefits-of-the-paraguayan-project/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Russell Bedford Brasil |language=pt-BR}}{{Cite web |date=2023-12-19 |title=Advantages of Foreign Direct Investment in Paraguay: A Gateway to Opportunity in South America |url=https://latamfdi.com/foreign-direct-investment-in-paraguay/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=LATAM FDI}}

In the pharmaceutical industry, Paraguayan companies now{{when|date=February 2016}} meet 70% of domestic consumption and have begun to export drugs. Paraguay is quickly{{quantify|date=February 2016}} supplanting foreign suppliers in meeting the country's drug needs.{{cite web |title=Pharmaceutical industry in Paraguay, betting on innovation |date=25 August 2016 |website=Leading Edge Guides |url=http://www.leadingedgeguides.com/betting-on-innovation/ |url-status=live |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214064729/http://www.leadingedgeguides.com/betting-on-innovation/ |archive-date=14 December 2018 |author1=Admin }} Strong growth also is evident in the production of edible oils, garments, organic sugar, meat processing, and steel.{{cite web |title=Paraguay |website=exportimportstatistics.com |url=https://www.exportimportstatistics.com/country-profile/Paraguay-profile.aspx |url-status=live |access-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118141929/https://www.exportimportstatistics.com/country-profile/Paraguay-profile.aspx |archive-date=18 January 2021}}

In 2003, manufacturing comprised 13.6% of the GDP and it employed about 11% of the working population in 2000. Paraguay's primary manufacturing focus is on food and beverages. Wood products, paper products, hides and furs, and nonmetallic mineral products also contribute to manufacturing totals. Steady growth in the manufacturing GDP during the 1990s (1.2% annually) laid the foundation for 2002 and 2003, when the annual growth rate rose to 2.5%.

{{cite web

|title=Paraguay

|website=lcweb2.loc.gov

|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Paraguay.pdf

|url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2010

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514105537/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Paraguay.pdf

|archive-date=14 May 2015

}}

Paraguay was ranked 93rd in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.{{Cite book |author=World Intellectual Property Organization |year=2024 |title=Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=www.wipo.int |page=18 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.50062 |isbn=978-92-805-3681-2}}

Literacy rates have been extremely low among Paraguay's indigenous population, who had a literacy rate of 7.1% compared to the 51% rate of the general population as of the 2002 census.{{cite web |title=Paraguay |website=Pan-American Health Organization (paho.org) |url=http://www.paho.org/english/dd/ais/cp_600.htm |access-date=12 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108045134/http://www.paho.org/english/dd/ais/cp_600.htm |archive-date=8 November 2012}}

Only 2.5% of Paraguay's indigenous population had access to clean drinking water and only 9.5% had electricity {{as of|lc=y|2002}}.

Image:Mapa RutasPY2019.png

According to official data from the M.O.P.C (Ministry of Public Works and Communications of Paraguay), in 2019, there were a total of {{convert|78850|km|0|abbr=on}} of roads, of which {{convert|10372|km|0|abbr=on}} were paved.{{cite web |title=Paraguay road network |website=mopc.gov.py |url=https://www.mopc.gov.py/index.php/red-vial |access-date=11 July 2022 |archive-date=24 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624224504/https://www.mopc.gov.py/index.php/red-vial |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Update of the Paraguay Road Network |website=mopc.gov.py |url=https://www.mopc.gov.py/index.php/actualizacion-de-la-red-vial-de-rutas-nacionales-del-paraguay |access-date=11 July 2022 |archive-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712010315/https://www.mopc.gov.py/index.php/actualizacion-de-la-red-vial-de-rutas-nacionales-del-paraguay |url-status=live }} One of the most important recent investments in the country's history is the construction of the Bioceanic Corridor, which will cross the north of Paraguay in a horizontal line, connecting Brazil to Argentina, reaching both the ports of northern Chile, as to Brazilian ports. The work will open a new route for exports of products to Asia, and will enable the development of an isolated region of Paraguay, the Chaco. In February 2022, Paraguay inaugurated 275 km of the road (about half of the route), connecting Carmelo Peralta (Alto Paraguay), on the border with Brazil, to Loma Plata (Boquerón), in the center of the country.{{cite web |title=Primer tramo del Corredor Bioceánico ya es una realidad que cambiará la historia del Chaco |website=mopc.gov.py |url=https://www.mopc.gov.py/index.php/noticias/primer-tramo-del-corredor-bioceanico-ya-es-una-realidad-que-cambiara-la-historia-del-chaco |access-date=11 July 2022 |archive-date=6 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806215608/https://www.mopc.gov.py/index.php/noticias/primer-tramo-del-corredor-bioceanico-ya-es-una-realidad-que-cambiara-la-historia-del-chaco |url-status=live }} Paraguay has also been implementing the country's first double highway: 149 km of the Route 2, which connects the capital Asunción to Ciudad del Este, on the border with Brazil (the highway that also connects with port of Paranaguá). In January 2022, there were almost 100 km duplicated.{{cite web |title=Millonaria inversión permite renovar las principales rutas del país |website=mopc.gov.py |url=https://www.mopc.gov.py/index.php/noticias/millonaria-inversion-permite-renovar-las-principales-rutas-del-pais |access-date=11 July 2022 |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006002515/https://www.mopc.gov.py/index.php/noticias/millonaria-inversion-permite-renovar-las-principales-rutas-del-pais |url-status=live }}

The Paraná-Paraguay system is a natural north–south downstream waterway of 1,600 km of a navigable network area, that gives the region direct access to the ocean, therefore, river transport is important and extensive, concentrating the most commercial maritime traffic to the port of Buenos Aires. Asunción is one of the main ports of Paraguay.{{cite web |title=5 Major ports in Paraguay |date=22 November 2022 |website=Marine Insight (marineinsight.com) |language=en |url=https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/ports-in-paraguay/ |access-date=22 November 2022 |archive-date=18 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318001638/https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/ports-in-paraguay/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Principales puertos del Paraguay (1) |date=20 May 2013 |website=ABC Color Paraguay (abc.com.py) |language=es |url=https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/escolar/principales-puertos-del-paraguay-1-574725.html |access-date=20 May 2013 |archive-date=18 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318001638/https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/escolar/principales-puertos-del-paraguay-1-574725.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Rio Paraguai tem enorme importância para a capital Assunção |date=August 2014 |website=g1.globo.com |url=https://g1.globo.com/natureza/noticia/2014/08/rio-paraguai-tem-enorme-importancia-para-capital-assuncao.html |access-date=28 July 2022 |archive-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712000639/https://g1.globo.com/natureza/noticia/2014/08/rio-paraguai-tem-enorme-importancia-para-capital-assuncao.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Portos do Mercosul: Conheças os principais |website=fazcomex.com.br |language=pt |url=https://www.fazcomex.com.br/blog/portos-do-mercosul/ |access-date=28 July 2022 |archive-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712000623/https://www.fazcomex.com.br/blog/portos-do-mercosul/ |url-status=live }}

Asunción airport is an important stopover for international airlines and Ciudad del Este airport, is an important international air cargo hub.{{cite news |title=Gol retoma voos do Brasil para o Paraguai |newspaper=Aero Magazine |date=11 April 2022 |url=https://aeromagazine.uol.com.br/artigo/gol-retoma-voos-do-brasil-para-o-paraguai.html |last1=Cardoso |first1=Marcel |access-date=28 July 2022 |archive-date=21 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921122011/https://aeromagazine.uol.com.br/artigo/gol-retoma-voos-do-brasil-para-o-paraguai.html |url-status=live }}

{{main|Energy in Paraguay}}

All of Paraguay's electricity is generated by hydropower, making it one of the cleanest in the world. thumb

Paraguay has an installed electrical production capacity of 8,110 MW, producing 63 billion kWh/year in 2016; with domestic consumption of just 15 billion kWh, the excess production is sold to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, making Paraguay the world's largest exporter of electric power.{{cite web |title=Paraguay |department=International |website=U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) (eia.gov) |url=https://www.eia.gov/beta/international/country.php?iso=PRY |url-status=live |access-date=6 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106204323/https://www.eia.gov/beta/international/country.php?iso=PRY |archive-date=6 January 2019}} This production is from two large hydroelectric power projects along its borders, including the Itaipu Dam, the world's second largest generating station.

{{Main|Demographics of Paraguay|Immigration to Paraguay}}

{{See also|List of most common surnames in South America#Paraguay|l1=List of most common surnames in Paraguay}}

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File:Paraguay population density.png

Paraguay's population is distributed unevenly through the country, with the vast majority of people living in the eastern region near the capital and largest city, Asunción, which accounts for 10% of the country's population. The Gran Chaco region, which includes the Alto Paraguay, Boquerón and Presidente Hayes Department, and accounts for about 60% of the territory, is home to less than 4% of the population. About 63% of Paraguayans live in urban areas, making Paraguay one of the least urbanized nations in South America.

For most of its history, Paraguay has been a recipient of immigrants owing to its low population density, especially after the demographic collapse caused by the Paraguayan War. Immigrants include Italians, Germans, Spanish, English, Russians, Koreans, Chinese, Arab, Japanese, Ukrainians, Poles, Jews, Brazilians, Argentines, Americans, Bolivians, Venezuelans, Mexicans, Chileans, Taiwanese, Asian people and Uruguayans.{{cite web |title=Brasileños, Argentinos, Coreanos y Taiwaneses, encabezan ranking de inmigrantes en Paraguay |date=7 December 2021 |website=Hoy Paraguay (hoy.com.py) |language=es |url=https://www.hoy.com.py/nacionales/brasilenos-argentinos-coreanos-y-taiwaneses-encabezan-ranking-de-inmigrantes-en-paraguay |url-status=live |access-date=18 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217052915/https://www.hoy.com.py/nacionales/brasilenos-argentinos-coreanos-y-taiwaneses-encabezan-ranking-de-inmigrantes-en-paraguay |archive-date=17 December 2021}}{{cite web |title=Paraguayos en España. Padrón municipal 2021, cifras de población |date=1 January 2021 |website=epa.com.es |publisher=EPA España |language=es |url=https://epa.com.es/padron/paraguayos-en-espana/ |access-date=30 December 2021 |archive-date=30 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230190413/https://epa.com.es/padron/paraguayos-en-espana/ |url-status=live}} Along with German Argentines, German Paraguayans are one of the most prominent and growing German communities in South America, with some 25,000 German-speaking Mennonites living in the Paraguayan Chaco.{{cite web |first=Antonio |last={{nobr|de la Cova}} |date=28 December 1999 |title=Paraguay's Mennonites resent 'fast buck' outsiders |website=Latinamericanstudies.org |publisher=Columbia University |url=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/paraguay/mennonites.htm |access-date=2 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712210031/http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/paraguay/mennonites.htm |archive-date=12 July 2010}}{{cite web |title=German families seek shelter in Paraguay from vaccines and lockdowns |date=7 December 2021 |language=en, es |website=MercoPress Uruguay (en.mercopress.com) |url=https://en.mercopress.com/2021/12/07/german-families-seek-shelter-in-paraguay-from-vaccines-and-lockdowns |access-date=18 December 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217052914/https://en.mercopress.com/2021/12/07/german-families-seek-shelter-in-paraguay-from-vaccines-and-lockdowns |archive-date=17 December 2021}} German settlers founded several towns, such as Hohenau, Filadelfia, Neuland, Obligado and Nueva Germania. Several websites that promote German immigration to Paraguay claim that 5–7% of the population is of German ancestry,{{Dubious|date=April 2014}} including 150,000 people of German-Brazilian descent.{{Better source needed|reason=Citations are from many German immigration promotion websites, there must be more objective sources for this|date=April 2014}}{{cite magazine |last=Ross |first=Jonathan |title=Allgemeines über Paraguay |magazine=Magazin-paraguay.de |location=Paraguay |url=http://www.magazin-paraguay.de/paraguay/allgemeines-paraguay.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310015715/http://www.magazin-paraguay.de/paraguay/allgemeines-paraguay.htm |archive-date=10 March 2013 |access-date=5 October 2012}}{{cite web |title="Kategorie" Paraguay 24 – die Geschichte unserer Auswanderung |date=23 September 2012 |department=Information um und zu Paraguay |url=http://www.paraguay24.de/category/new-und-infos-zu-paraguay/information_um_und_zu_paraguay |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003071607/http://www.paraguay24.de/category/new-und-infos-zu-paraguay/information_um_und_zu_paraguay |archive-date=3 October 2012 |access-date=5 October 2012|publisher=Paraguay24.de}}{{cite web |last=Blanco |first=Miran |date=24 March 2007 |title=Paraguay Auswandern Einwandern Immobilien Infos für Touristen, Auswanderer Asuncion Paraguay |url=http://www.auswandern-paraguay.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818114456/http://www.auswandern-paraguay.org/ |archive-date=18 August 2012 |access-date=5 October 2012|publisher=Auswandern-paraguay.org}}{{cite web |title=Paraguay – Immobilien – Auswandern – Immobilienschnöppchen, Höuser, und Grundstöcke um Villarrica |website=My-paraguay.com |url=http://www.my-paraguay.com/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919195903/http://my-paraguay.com/ |archive-date=19 September 2012}}{{cite web |title=Paraguay – Auswandern – Immobilien – Reisen |website=paraguay1.de |url=http://www.paraguay1.de/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014051358/http://www.paraguay1.de/ |archive-date=14 October 2012 |access-date=19 October 2012}} Similarly, from the 1920–30s, Paraguay received waves of Slavic immigrants who settled in Asunción and Southern Paraguay (Itapúa, Misiones and Ñeembucú), especially in the towns of Fram, Coronel Bogado, Encarnación, San Juan del Paraná, San Ignacio, and Pilar.{{cite web |title=Música, sabor y cultura |date=21 June 2014 |publisher=ABC Color Paraguay |language=es |first1=Mónica |last1=Bareiro |url=https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/abc-revista/musica-sabor-y-cultura-1257514.html |access-date=18 December 2021 |archive-date=17 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217052915/https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/abc-revista/musica-sabor-y-cultura-1257514.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=85 años de la Iglesia Bautista Eslava |language=es |date=27 January 2016 |publisher=ABC Color Paraguay |url=https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/gaceta-del-sur/85-anos-de-la-iglesia-bautista-eslava-1448028.html |access-date=18 December 2021 |archive-date=17 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217052915/https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/gaceta-del-sur/85-anos-de-la-iglesia-bautista-eslava-1448028.html |url-status=live}} Paraguay has also been a haven for communities persecuted for the religious faith, like the Bruderhof who were forced to leave England in 1941 because of their pacifist beliefs.{{cite news |title=Inside the Bruderhof review: A look into a British religious commune |date=25 July 2019 |newspaper=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/inside-the-bruderhof-review-a-look-into-a-british-religious-commune-a4198496.html |first1=David |last1=Sexton |access-date=15 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731073736/https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/inside-the-bruderhof-review-a-look-into-a-british-religious-commune-a4198496.html |archive-date=31 July 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Wollaston |first=Sam |date=23 July 2019 |title='Just don't call it a cult': The strangely alluring world of the Bruderhof |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jul/23/just-dont-call-it-a-cult-the-strangely-alluring-world-of-the-bruderhof |access-date=15 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815032536/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jul/23/just-dont-call-it-a-cult-the-strangely-alluring-world-of-the-bruderhof |archive-date=15 August 2019 |url-status=live}} Many of these communities have retained their languages and culture, particularly the Brazilians, who represent the largest and most prominent immigrant group, at around 400,000.{{cite web |title=Paraguay information and history |department=Travel |website=National Geographic (nationalgeographic.com) |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destination/paraguay |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918150652/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/paraguay-facts/ |archive-date=18 September 2012}} Many Brazilian Paraguayans are of German, Italian and Polish descent.{{cite news |title=Awful lot of Brazilians in Paraguay, locals say |date=12 June 2001 |series=San Alberto Journal |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/12/world/12PARA.html?ex=1152849600&en=6a4520630e3b9860&ei=5070&pagewanted=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722131153/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/12/world/12PARA.html?ex=1152849600&en=6a4520630e3b9860&ei=5070&pagewanted=1 |archive-date=22 July 2016}} There are an estimated 8,000 Afro-Paraguayans, comprising 0.13% of the population.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

File:Caacupe5.jpg]]

There is no official data on the ethnic composition of the Paraguayan population, as the Department of Statistics, Surveys and Censuses of Paraguay does not ask about race and ethnicity in census surveys, although it does inquire about the indigenous population. According to the 2022 census, indigenous people made up 2.3% of Paraguay's total population.

Traditionally, the majority of the Paraguayan population is considered mixed (mestizo in Spanish). According to the 2022 census, Paraguay has a population of 6 109 944, of which 95% are Mestizo/White and 5% are labeled "other", which includes members of 17 distinct ethnolinguistic indigenous groups.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ine.gov.py/Publicaciones/Biblioteca/documento/233/censo_indigena2022.pdf|title=Indigenous Census 2022 - INE|date=31 August 2023|website=INE Paraguay|language=ES|access-date=17 September 2023|archive-date=6 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006011949/https://www.ine.gov.py/Publicaciones/Biblioteca/documento/233/censo_indigena2022.pdf|url-status=live}}

{{Largest cities

| country = Paraguay

| stat_ref = (2022 census)

| div_name = Department

| city_1 = Asunción | div_1 = Capital District (Paraguay){{!}}Capital District | pop_1 = 462,241 | img_1 = Paraguay-001.jpg

| city_2 = Ciudad del Este | div_2 = Alto Paraná Department{{!}}Alto Paraná | pop_2 = 325,819 | img_2 = Ciudad del Este skyline Imagen 205.jpg

| city_3 = Luque | div_3 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_3 = 259,705 | img_3 = Silvio Pettirossi International Airport.jpg

| city_4 = Capiatá | div_4 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_4 = 236,999

| city_5 = San Lorenzo, Paraguay{{!}}San Lorenzo | div_5 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_5 = 225,295 | img_5 = Catedral de San Lorenzo durante un 10 de Agosto.JPG

| city_6 = Limpio | div_6 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_6 = 139,652

| city_7 = Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay{{!}}Pedro Juan Caballero | div_7 = Amambay Department{{!}}Amambay | pop_7 = 127,437

| city_8 = Lambaré | div_8 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_8 = 127,150

| city_9 = Ñemby | div_9 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_9 = 116,383

| city_10 = Fernando de la Mora, Paraguay{{!}}Fernando de la Mora | div_10 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_10 = 110,255

| city_11 = Encarnación, Paraguay{{!}}Encarnación | div_11 = Itapúa Department{{!}}Itapúa | pop_11 = 106,842

| city_12 = Coronel Oviedo | div_12 = Caaguazú Department{{!}}Caaguazú | pop_12 = 98,323

| city_13 = Caaguazú District{{!}}Caaguazú | div_13 = Caaguazú Department{{!}}Caaguazú | pop_13 = 98,200

| city_14 = Itauguá | div_14 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_14 = 93,213

| city_15 = Presidente Franco District{{!}}Presidente Franco | div_15 = Alto Paraná Department{{!}}Alto Paraná | pop_15 = 88,744

| city_16 = Mariano Roque Alonso, Paraguay{{!}}Mariano Roque Alonso | div_16 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_16 = 85,133

| city_17 = Hernandarias, Paraguay{{!}}Hernandarias | div_17 = Alto Paraná Department{{!}}Alto Paraná | pop_17 = 83,285

| city_18 = Minga Guazú | div_18 = Alto Paraná Department{{!}}Alto Paraná | pop_18 = 81,072

| city_19 = Concepción, Paraguay{{!}}Concepción | div_19 = Concepción Department (Paraguay){{!}}Concepción | pop_19 = 73,360

| city_20 = Villa Elisa, Paraguay{{!}}Villa Elisa | div_20 = Central Department{{!}}Central | pop_20 = 71,383

}}

File:Concepción Catholic chapel.jpeg]]

{{Main|Religion in Paraguay}}

Christianity, particularly Catholicism, is the dominant religion in Paraguay.{{cite web |title= PROLADES Religion in America by country |website=Programa Latinoamericano de Estudios Sociorreligiosos (PROLADES) (prolades.com) |trans-title=The Latin American Socio-Religious Studies Program |url=http://www.prolades.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112003048/http://www.prolades.com/ |archive-date=12 January 2018}} According to the 2002 census, 89.9% of the population was Catholic, 6.2% was Evangelical Protestant, 1.1% identified with other Christian sects, and 0.6% practiced indigenous religions. A U.S. State Department report on Religious Freedom names Catholicism, evangelical Protestantism, mainline Protestantism, Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Baháʼí Faith as prominent religious groups. It also mentions a large Muslim community in Alto Paraná (as a result of Middle-Eastern immigration, especially from Lebanon) and a prominent Mennonite community in Boquerón.{{cite report |title=Paraguay religion |date=14 September 2007 |website=U.S. State Department (state.gov) |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90263.htm |url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728054606/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90263.htm |archive-date=28 July 2020}}

{{main|Languages of Paraguay}}

Paraguay is a bilingual nation. Both Spanish and Guaraní are official languages. The Guaraní language is a remarkable trace of the indigenous Guaraní culture that has endured in Paraguay. Guaraní claims its place as one of the last surviving and thriving South American indigenous national languages.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/03/paraguay-guarani-indigenous-language|title='Culture is language': why an indigenous tongue is thriving in Paraguay|work=The Guardian|last=Costa|first=William|date=3 September 2020|access-date=25 October 2023|archive-date=30 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030063557/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/03/paraguay-guarani-indigenous-language|url-status=live}} In 2015, Spanish was spoken by about 87% of the population, while Guaraní is spoken by more than 90%, or slightly more than 5.8 million speakers. 52% of rural Paraguayans are bilingual in Guaraní. While Guaraní is still widely spoken, Spanish is generally given a preferential treatment in government, business, media and education as one of South America's lingua francas.{{cite web |title=Languages of Paraguay |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/gug |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816063413/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/gug |archive-date=16 August 2017 |access-date=25 March 2025 |website=Ethnologue }}{{cite web |title=The Languages spoken in Paraguay |website=Studycountry.com |url=http://www.studycountry.com/guide/PY-language.htm |url-status=live |access-date=21 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325113232/http://www.studycountry.com/guide/PY-language.htm |archive-date=25 March 2017}}{{cite web |title=Languages of Paraguay |website=VisitParaguay.net |date=24 June 2014 |url=http://www.visitparaguay.net/paraguay-guide/languages-paraguay.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301041637/http://www.visitparaguay.net/paraguay-guide/languages-paraguay.html|archive-date=1 March 2017}}{{cite news |first=Simon |last=Romero |date=12 March 2012 |title=In Paraguay, indigenous language with unique staying power |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/world/americas/in-paraguay-indigenous-language-with-unique-staying-power.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428224513/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/world/americas/in-paraguay-indigenous-language-with-unique-staying-power.html |archive-date=28 April 2017}}

Portuguese is the third most used language, spoken by 10% in the country, mostly in the departments bordering Brazil. It's spoken by the so-called "Brasiguayos", Brazilians or descendants who crossed west of the border from the 1970's seeking cheap land.{{Cite journal |last=Estrada |first=Marcos |date=October 2017 |title=Brasiguaio Identities: An outcome of the pursuit of land across the Brazilian and Paraguayan shared border region |url=https://exchanges.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/exchanges/article/view/205 |journal=University of Warwick. Exchanges: The Interdisciplinary Research Journal. |issue=5}}

There are also approximately 19 indigenous languages spoken in Paraguay, many of which are threatened by extinction. Languages such as Guana, Ayoreo, and Ishir (Chamacoco) are considered endangered.{{cite web |title=In Paraguay, 6 of the 19 native languages are in danger |website=mexicanist.com |date=17 April 2019 |url=https://www.mexicanist.com/l/paraguay-native-languages-in-danger/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812181248/https://www.mexicanist.com/l/paraguay-native-languages-in-danger/ |archive-date=12 August 2020}}

{{Main|Education in Paraguay}}

{{See also|List of universities in Paraguay|List of high schools in Paraguay}}

Literacy was about 93.6% and 87.7% of Paraguayans finish the fifth grade according to UNESCO's last Educational Development Index 2008. Literacy does not differ much by gender.{{cite web |series=Human Development Report |year=2009 |title=Paraguay |website=Hdrstats.undp.org |url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_PRY.html |access-date=2 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218153913/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_PRY.html |archive-date=18 February 2010}} A more recent study{{cite web |department=${w.time} |title=En Paraguay, disminuyó la pobreza entre 2003 y 2009 |series=ABC Color Paraguay |website=abc.com.py |url=http://www.abc.com.py/nota/en-paraguay-disminuyo-la-pobreza-entre-2003-y-2009/ |access-date=5 October 2012}} reveals that attendance at primary school by children between 6 and 12 years old is about 98%. Primary education is free, mandatory and takes nine years. Secondary education takes three years.

Main universities, all in the capital city, in Paraguay include:

• National University of Asunción (public and founded in 1889){{cite web |title=Una |website=Una.py |url=http://www.una.py/ |url-status=dead |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010195408/http://www.una.py/ |archive-date=10 October 2012}}
• Autonomous University of Asunción (private and founded in 1979){{cite web |title=Universidad Autónoma de Asunción: Educación Superior en Paraguay |website=uaa.edu.py |url=http://www.uaa.edu.py/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926054204/http://www.uaa.edu.py/ |archive-date=26 September 2012}}
• Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (private and run by the church).{{cite web |title=Campus de Asunción – Universidad Católica "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción" |website=Uca.edu.py |date=25 September 2012 |url=http://www.uca.edu.py/ |url-status=dead |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130092826/http://www.uca.edu.py/ |archive-date=30 November 2012}}
• Universidad Americana (private).
• Universidad del Pacífico (private and founded in 1991).

The net primary enrollment rate was at 88% in 2005. Public expenditure on education was about 4.3% of GDP in the early 2000s.

{{main|Health in Paraguay}}

File:Life expectancy in Paraguay.svg

Average life expectancy in Paraguay is rather high given its poverty: {{As of|2006|lc=y}}, it was 75 years,{{cite web |title=Paraguay |date=1 October 2012 |series=World Health Organization |publisher=United Nations |website=WHO (who.int) |url=https://www.who.int/countries/pry/en/ |access-date=5 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017211540/http://www.who.int/countries/pry/en/ |archive-date=17 October 2012|url-status=live}} equivalent to far wealthier Argentina, and the eighth highest in the Americas according to World Health Organization. Public expenditure on health is 2.6% of GDP, while private health expenditure is 5.1%. Infant mortality was 20 per 1,000 births in 2005. Maternal mortality was 150 per 100,000 live births in 2000.

The World Bank has helped the Paraguayan government reduce the country's maternal and infant mortality. The Mother and Child Basic Health Insurance Project aimed to contribute to reducing mortality by increasing the use of selected life-saving services included in the country's Mother and Child Basic Health Insurance Program (MCBI) by women of child-bearing age, and children under age six in selected areas. To this end, the project also targeted improving the quality and efficiency of the health service network within certain areas, in addition to increasing the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare's (MSPandBS) management.{{cite report |title=Paraguay Mother & Child Basic Health Insurance |publisher=The World Bank |url=http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P082056 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517115828/http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P082056 |archive-date=17 May 2012}}. .

{{Main|Culture of Paraguay}}

{{See also|Music of Paraguay|Cinema of Paraguay|Paraguayan cuisine}}

Paraguay's cultural heritage can be traced to the extensive intermarriage between the original male Spanish settlers and indigenous Guaraní women. Their culture is highly influenced by various European countries, including Spain. Therefore, the Paraguayan culture is a fusion of two cultures and traditions; one European, the other, Southern Guaraní. Although this is common throughout the country, it is more visible around the towns of Atyrá, Tobatí and Altos. More than 93% of Paraguayans are mestizos, making Paraguay one of the most homogeneous countries in Latin America. A characteristic of this cultural fusion is the extensive bilingualism present to this day: more than 80% of Paraguayans speak both Spanish and the indigenous language, Guaraní. Jopara, a mixture of Guaraní and Spanish, is also widely spoken.{{Citation needed|date=May 2014}}

File:Ovecha Ragué Festival Paraguay.jpg

This cultural fusion is expressed in arts such as embroidery (ao po'í) and lace making (ñandutí). The music of Paraguay, which consists of lilting polkas, bouncy galopas, and languid guaranias is played on the native harp. Paraguay's culinary heritage is also deeply influenced by this cultural fusion. Several popular dishes contain manioc, a local staple crop similar to the yuca also known as Cassava root found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as other indigenous ingredients. A popular dish is sopa paraguaya, similar to a thick corn bread. Another notable food is chipa, a bagel-like bread made from cornmeal, manioc, and cheese. Many other dishes consist of different kinds of cheeses, onions, bell peppers, cottage cheese, cornmeal, milk, seasonings, butter, eggs and fresh corn kernels.

The 1950s and 1960s were the time of the birth of a new generation of Paraguayan novelists and poets such as José Ricardo Mazó, Roque Vallejos, and Nobel Prize nominee Augusto Roa Bastos. Several Paraguayan films have been made.

Inside the family, conservative values predominate. In lower classes, godparents have a special relationship to the family, since they are typically chosen because of their favourable social position, in order to provide extra security for the children. Particular respect is owed them, in return for which the family can expect protection and patronage.{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/paraguay/29.htm|title=Paraguay – Ritual Kinship|website=countrystudies.us|access-date=30 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103013443/http://countrystudies.us/paraguay/29.htm|archive-date=3 November 2016|url-status=live}}

The most popular instruments in Paraguayan music are the harp and the guitar. The native genres are the Paraguayan polka and the guarania, characterized by a slow song that was developed by José Asunción Flores around the 1920s.{{cite web | title=Cuna del arpa y la guitarra - Locales | website=ABC Color Paraguay (abc.com.py) | url=https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/locales/cuna-del-arpa--y-la-guitarra-395563.html | access-date=24 November 2022 | archive-date=24 November 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124002240/https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/locales/cuna-del-arpa--y-la-guitarra-395563.html | url-status=live }}{{cite web | title=José Asunción Flores y la guarania - Articulos | website=ABC Color Paraguay | url=https://www.abc.com.py/articulos/jose-asuncion-flores-y-la-guarania-859204.html | access-date=24 November 2022 | archive-date=24 November 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124002241/https://www.abc.com.py/articulos/jose-asuncion-flores-y-la-guarania-859204.html | url-status=live }}

{{main|Media of Paraguay}}

{{Main|Sport in Paraguay}}

File:Estadio Defensores del Chaco en 2019.jpg]]

Sports are integral to the national culture; soccer and

basketball are most popular.{{cite book |last=Behnke |first=Alison |title=Paraguay in Pictures |series=Visual Geography Series (VGS) |year=2010 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/paraguayinpictur0000behn/page/56 56, 57] |isbn=978-1-57505-962-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/paraguayinpictur0000behn/page/56}} Other sports such as volleyball, handball, futsal, swimming and tennis are also popular.

{{Portal|Paraguay|Latin America}}

• Bibliography of Paraguay
• Index of Paraguay-related articles
• Outline of Paraguay

{{notelist}}

{{notelist|group=nb}}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Commons category|Paraguay}}

{{Wikinews category}}

; Government

• {{cite web |title=Chief of State and Cabinet Members |publisher=U.S. Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-p/paraguay.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528053421/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-p/paraguay.html |archive-date=28 May 2010}}
• {{cite web |title=National Department of Tourism |language=es |url=http://www.senatur.gov.py/}}
• {{cite web |title=Ministry of Finance with economic and government information |language=es, en |url=http://www.hacienda.gov.py/}} — also available in English

; General information

• {{cite encyclopedia |title=Paraguay |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |date=29 June 2023 |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Paraguay}}
• {{cite book |title=Paraguay |series=The World Factbook |date=August 2023 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/paraguay/}}
• {{cite web |title=Paraguay |department=Government Publications |series=UCB Libraries |publisher=University of Colorado |location=Bolder, CO |url=http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/paraguay.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607085416/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/paraguay.htm |archive-date=7 June 2008}}
• {{cite news |title=Paraguay |department=Country profile |publisher=BBC News |date=3 July 2012 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1222081.stm}}
• {{Wikiatlas|Paraguay}}
• {{osmrelation-inline|287077}}
• {{cite web |title=Key development forecasts for Paraguay |website=International Futures (ifs.du.edu) |publisher=University of Denver |location=Denver, CO |url=http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=PY}}
• {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Paraguay |volume=20 |pages=756–759 |short=1}} (includes commerce data for the early 20th century)

; News media

• {{cite web |title=La Rueda – Weekly reviews |language=es |url=http://www.larueda.com.py/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916131713/http://www.larueda.com.py/ |archive-date=16 September 2009}}
• {{cite web |title=ABC Color Paraguay |language=es |url=http://www.abc.com.py/}}
• {{cite web |title=Última Hora |language=es |url=http://www.ultimahora.com.py/ |access-date=26 September 2008 |archive-date=1 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201100434/http://www.ultimahora.com.py/ |url-status=dead }}
• {{cite web |title=La Nación |language=es |url=http://www.lanacion.com.py/}}
• {{cite web |title=Paraguay.com |language=es |url=http://www.paraguay.com/}}
• {{cite web |title=Ñanduti |language=es |url=http://www.nanduti.com.py/}}
• {{cite web |title=Paraguayan Pymes News |language=es |url=http://www.mipyme.com.py/ |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604075323/http://www.mipyme.com.py/ |url-status=dead }}

; Trade

• {{cite report |title=Summary Trade Statistics Paraguay |year=2012 |website=wits.worldbank.org |publisher=World Bank |url=http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/Country/PRY/Year/2012/Summary}}
• {{cite web |title=Exchange rate of the Guaraní – Paraguayan currency |work=Tipo de Cambio de Monedas |date=10 March 2019 |url=https://www.tipo-de-cambio.com/paraguay/cotizacion-de-monedas-en-paraguay-casa-de-cambios-alberdi-chaco-cde-encarnacion-y-asuncion/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414174336/https://www.tipo-de-cambio.com/paraguay/cotizacion-de-monedas-en-paraguay-casa-de-cambios-alberdi-chaco-cde-encarnacion-y-asuncion/ |archive-date=14 April 2019}}

; Travel

• {{cite web |title=Tradition, Culture, Maps, Tourism |website=Paraguay.com |url=http://www.Paraguay.com/}}
• {{Wikivoyage inline}}
• {{cite web |title=Tourism in Paraguay, information, pictures and more |website=Turismo.com.py |language=es |url=http://www.turismo.com.py/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202113657/http://www.turismo.com.py/ |archive-date=2 December 2008}}

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