Statistical information Venezuela 2023
Venezuela in the World
Venezuela - Introduction 2023
top of pageBackground:
Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by military strongmen who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Although democratically elected governments largely held sway since 1959, the executive branch under Hugo CHAVEZ, president from 1999 to 2013, exercised increasingly authoritarian control over other branches of government. This undemocratic trend continued in 2018 when Nicolas MADURO claimed the presidency for his second term in an election boycotted by most opposition parties and widely viewed as fraudulent.
The last democratically-elected institution is the 2015 National Assembly. In 2020, legislative elections were held for a new National Assembly, which the opposition boycotted, and which were widely condemned as fraudulent. The resulting assembly is viewed by most opposition parties and many international actors as illegitimate. In November 2021, most opposition parties broke a three-year election boycott to participate in mayoral and gubernatorial elections, despite flawed conditions. As a result, the opposition more than doubled its representation at the mayoral level and retained four of 23 governorships. The 2021 regional elections marked the first time since 2006 that the EU was allowed to send an electoral observation mission to Venezuela.
The MADURO regime places strong restrictions on freedoms of expression and the press. Since CHAVEZ, the ruling party's economic policies expanded the state's role in the economy through expropriations of major enterprises, strict currency exchange and price controls that discourage private sector investment and production, and overdependence on the petroleum industry for revenues, among others. Years of economic mismanagement left Venezuela ill-prepared to weather the global drop in oil prices in 2014, sparking an economic decline that has resulted in reduced government social spending, shortages of basic goods, and high inflation. Worsened living conditions have prompted over 7 million Venezuelans to migrate, mainly settling in nearby countries. Since 2017, the US has imposed financial and sectoral sanctions on the MADURO regime, and the regime's mismanagement and lack of investment in infrastructure has debilitated the country's oil sector. Caracas has more recently relaxed some economic controls to mitigate the impact of its sustained economic crisis, such as allowing increased currency and liberalizing import flexibility for private citizens and companies. Other concerns include human rights abuses, rampant violent crime, political manipulation of the judicial and electoral systems, and corruption.
The last democratically-elected institution is the 2015 National Assembly. In 2020, legislative elections were held for a new National Assembly, which the opposition boycotted, and which were widely condemned as fraudulent. The resulting assembly is viewed by most opposition parties and many international actors as illegitimate. In November 2021, most opposition parties broke a three-year election boycott to participate in mayoral and gubernatorial elections, despite flawed conditions. As a result, the opposition more than doubled its representation at the mayoral level and retained four of 23 governorships. The 2021 regional elections marked the first time since 2006 that the EU was allowed to send an electoral observation mission to Venezuela.
The MADURO regime places strong restrictions on freedoms of expression and the press. Since CHAVEZ, the ruling party's economic policies expanded the state's role in the economy through expropriations of major enterprises, strict currency exchange and price controls that discourage private sector investment and production, and overdependence on the petroleum industry for revenues, among others. Years of economic mismanagement left Venezuela ill-prepared to weather the global drop in oil prices in 2014, sparking an economic decline that has resulted in reduced government social spending, shortages of basic goods, and high inflation. Worsened living conditions have prompted over 7 million Venezuelans to migrate, mainly settling in nearby countries. Since 2017, the US has imposed financial and sectoral sanctions on the MADURO regime, and the regime's mismanagement and lack of investment in infrastructure has debilitated the country's oil sector. Caracas has more recently relaxed some economic controls to mitigate the impact of its sustained economic crisis, such as allowing increased currency and liberalizing import flexibility for private citizens and companies. Other concerns include human rights abuses, rampant violent crime, political manipulation of the judicial and electoral systems, and corruption.
Venezuela - Geography 2023
top of pageLocation: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 66 00 W
Map reference: South America
Area
Total: 912,050 km²
Land: 882,050 km²
Water: 30,000 km²
Comparative: almost six times the size of Georgia; slightly more than twice the size of California
Land boundaries
Total: 5,267 km
Border countries: (3) Brazil 2,137 km; Colombia 2,341 km; Guyana 789 km
Coastline: 2,800 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 15 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain: Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Elevation
Highest point: Pico Bolivar 4,978 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 450 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
Land use
Land use
Agricultural land: 24.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 20.6% (2018 est.)
Forest: 52.1% (2018 est.)
Other: 23.4% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land: 10,550 km² (2012)
Major rivers
By length in km:
Rio Negro (shared with Colombia [s] and Brazil [m]) - 2,250 km; Orinoco river source and mouth (shared with Colombia) - 2,101 km
note: - [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
note: - [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 km²), Orinoco (953,675 km²)
Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 5.12 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 790 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 16.71 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 1.33 trillion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Natural hazards: subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts
Geography
Note 1: the country lies on major sea and air routes linking North and South America
Note 2: Venezuela has some of the most unique geology in the world; tepuis are massive table-top mountains of the western Guiana Highlands that tend to be isolated and thus support unique endemic plant and animal species; their sheer cliffsides account for some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world including Angel Falls, the world's highest (979 m) that drops off Auyan Tepui
Venezuela - People 2023
top of pagePopulation
Distribution: most of the population is concentrated in the northern and western highlands along an eastern spur at the northern end of the Andes, an area that includes the capital of Caracas: 30,518,260 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 2.4% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 33.1% (2015 est.)
Nationality
Noun: Venezuelan(s)
Adjective: Venezuelan
Ethnic groups: unspecified Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, Indigenous
Languages: Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
Major-language samples:
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.
Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions: Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
Demographic profile: Social investment in Venezuela during the CHAVEZ administration reduced poverty from nearly 50% in 1999 to about 27% in 2011, increased school enrollment, substantially decreased infant and child mortality, and improved access to potable water and sanitation through social investment. "Missions" dedicated to education, nutrition, healthcare, and sanitation were funded through petroleum revenues. The sustainability of this progress remains questionable, however, as the continuation of these social programs depends on the prosperity of Venezuela's oil industry. In the long-term, education and health care spending may increase economic growth and reduce income inequality, but rising costs and the staffing of new health care jobs with foreigners are slowing development.
Age structure
Age structure
0-14 years: 25.13% (male 3,920,774/female 3,748,241)
15-64 years: 65.98% (male 10,029,127/female 10,105,332)
65 years and over: 8.9% (2023 est.) (male 1,239,205/female 1,475,581)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 57.5
Youth dependency ratio: 44.4
Elderly dependency ratio: 13.1
Potential support ratio: 7.6 (2021 est.)
Median age
Total: 30.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 30.1 years
Female: 31.5 years
Population growth rate: 2.4% (2023 est.)
Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate: 6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate: 13.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population distribution: most of the population is concentrated in the northern and western highlands along an eastern spur at the northern end of the Andes, an area that includes the capital of Caracas
Urbanization
Urban population: 88.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas
Population: 2.972 million CARACAS (capital), 2.368 million Maracaibo, 1.983 million Valencia, 1.254 million Barquisimeto, 1.243 million Maracay, 964,000 Ciudad Guayana (2023)
Environment
Current issues: sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 16.21 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 164.18 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 68.66 megatons (2020 est.)
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio: 259 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 15.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 12.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.3 years (2023 est.)
Male: 71.2 years
Female: 77.5 years
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate: 75% (2010)
Drinking water source
Improved urban: NA
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 94.2% of population
Unimproved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 5.8% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure: 3.8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density: 1.73 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Hospital bed density: 0.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
NA
rural: NA
total: 95.8% of population
rural: NA
total: 95.8% of population
Unimproved urban:
NA
rural: NA
total: 4.2% of population (2020 est.)
rural: NA
total: 4.2% of population (2020 est.)
Hiv/Aids
Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Obesity adult prevalence rate: 25.6% (2016)
Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 2.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA
Education expenditures: 1.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97.5%
Male: 97.4%
Female: 97.7% (2021)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 14.9% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 13.4% NA
Rate ages 15 24 female: 19.3% NA
Venezuela - Government 2023
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Conventional short form: Venezuela
Local long form: República Bolivariana de Venezuela
Local short form: Venezuela
Former: State of Venezuela, Republic of Venezuela, United States of Venezuela
Etymology: native stilt-houses built on Lake Maracaibo reminded early explorers Alonso de OJEDA and Amerigo VESPUCCI in 1499 of buildings in Venice and so they named the region "Venezuola," which in Italian means "Little Venice"
Government type: federal presidential republic
Capital
Name: Caracas
Geographic coordinates: 10 29 N, 66 52 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: named for the native Caracas tribe that originally settled in the city's valley site near the Caribbean coast
Administrative divisions: 23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital district* (distrito capital), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales (Federal Dependencies)**, Distrito Capital (Capital District)*, Falcon, Guarico, La Guaira, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia
Note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands
Dependent areas
Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)
Constitution
History: many previous; latest adopted 15 December 1999, effective 30 December 1999
Amendments: proposed through agreement by at least 39% of the National Assembly membership, by the president of the republic in session with the cabinet of ministers, or by petition of at least 15% of registered voters; passage requires simple majority vote by the Assembly and simple majority approval in a referendum; amended 2009; note - in 2016, President MADURO issued a decree to hold an election to form a constituent assembly to change the constitution; the election in July 2017 approved the formation of a 545-member constituent assembly and elected its delegates, empowering them to change the constitution and dismiss government institutions and officials
Legal system: civil law system based on the Spanish civil code
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years; reduced to five years in the case of applicants from Spain, Portugal, Italy, or a Latin American or Caribbean country
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
Chief of state:
Notification Statement: the United States does not recognize Nicolas MADURO Moros as president of Venezuela
President Nicolas MADURO Moros (since 19 April 2013); Executive Vice President Delcy RODRIGUEZ Gomez (since 14 June 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
President Nicolas MADURO Moros (since 19 April 2013); Executive Vice President Delcy RODRIGUEZ Gomez (since 14 June 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Nicolas MADURO Moros (since 19 April 2013); Executive Vice President Delcy RODRIGUEZ Gomez (since 14 June 2018)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 6-year term (no term limits); election last held on 20 May 2018 (next to be held in the second half of 2024)
Election results:
2018: Nicolas MADURO Moros reelected president; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros (PSUV) 68%, Henri FALCON (AP) 21%, Javier BERTUCCI 11%; note - the election was reportedly marred by serious shortcomings and electoral fraud
2013: Nicolas MADURO Moros elected president; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros (PSUV) 50.6%, Henrique CAPRILES Radonski (PJ) 49.1%, other 0.3%
2013: Nicolas MADURO Moros elected president; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros (PSUV) 50.6%, Henrique CAPRILES Radonski (PJ) 49.1%, other 0.3%
Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (277 seats; 3 seats reserved for indigenous peoples of Venezuela; members serve 5-year terms); note - in 2020, the National Electoral Council increased the number of seats in the National Assembly from 167 to 277 for the 6 December 2020 election
Elections: last held on 6 December 2020 (next to be held in December 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - GPP (pro-government) 69.3%, Democratic Alliance (opposition coalition) 17.7%, other 13%; seats by party - GPP 253, Democratic Alliance 18, indigenous peoples 3, other 3; composition - NA
Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (consists of 32 judges organized into constitutional, political-administrative, electoral, civil appeals, criminal appeals, and social divisions)
Judge selection and term of office: judges proposed by the Committee of Judicial Postulation (an independent body of organizations dealing with legal issues and of the organs of citizen power) and appointed by the National Assembly; judges serve nonrenewable 12-year terms; note - in July 2017, the National Assembly named 33 judges to the court to replace a series of judges, it argued, had been illegally appointed in late 2015 by the outgoing, socialist-party-led Assembly; the Government of President MADURO and the Socialist Party-appointed judges refused to recognize these appointments, however, and many of the new judges have since been imprisoned or forced into exile
Subordinate courts: Superior or Appeals Courts (Tribunales Superiores); District Tribunals (Tribunales de Distrito); Courts of First Instance (Tribunales de Primera Instancia); Parish Courts (Tribunales de Parroquia); Justices of the Peace (Justicia de Paz) Network
Political parties and leaders:
A New Era (Un Nuevo Tiempo) or UNT [Omar Enrique BARBOZA Gutierrez]
Brave People's Alliance or ABP [Antonio LEDEZMA]
Cambiemos Movimiento Ciudadano or CMC [Timoteo ZAMBRANO]
Christian Democrats or COPEI [Juan Carlos ALVARADO Prato, Roberto ENRIQUEZ]
Citizens Encounter or EC [Delsa SOLORZANO]
Clear Accounts or CC [Enzo SCARANO]
Coalition of parties loyal to Nicolas MADURO - Great Patriotic Pole or GPP [Nicolas MADURO]
Coalition of opposition parties - Democratic Alliance (Alianza Democratica) (includes AD, EL CAMBIO, COPEI, CMC, and AP)
Come Venezuela (Vente Venezuela) or VV [Maria Corina MACHADO]
Communist Party of Venezuela or PCV [Oscar FIGUERA]
Consenso en la Zona or Conenzo [Enzo SCARANO and Leon JURADO]
Convergencia [Juan Jose CALDERA]
Democratic Action or AD [
Flag description
: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band; the flag retains the three equal horizontal bands and three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; yellow is interpreted as standing for the riches of the land, blue for the courage of its people, and red for the blood shed in attaining independence; the seven stars on the original flag represented the seven provinces in Venezuela that united in the war of independence; in 2006, then President Hugo CHAVEZ ordered an eighth star added to the star arc - a decision that sparked much controversy - to conform with the flag proclaimed by Simon Bolivar in 1827 and to represent the historic province of Guayana
National symbols: troupial (bird); national colors: yellow, blue, red
National anthem
Name: "Gloria al bravo pueblo" (Glory to the Brave People)
Lyrics/music: Vicente SALIAS/Juan Jose LANDAETA
Note: adopted 1881; lyrics written in 1810, the music some years later; both SALIAS and LANDAETA were executed in 1814 during Venezuela's struggle for independence
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:
Economy overview: South American economy; ongoing hyperinflation since mid-2010s; chaotic economy due to political corruption, infrastructure cuts, and human rights abuses; in debt default; oil exporter; hydropower consumer; rising Chinese relations
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real gdp growth rate:
Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 68.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 19.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 13.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.7% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -10.7% (2017 est.)
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 40.4% (2017 est.)
Services: 54.9% (2017 est.)
Agriculture products: sugar cane, maize, milk, rice, plantains, bananas, pineapples, potatoes, beef, poultry
Industries: agricultural products, livestock, raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, iron and steel products, crude oil and petroleum products
Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2017 est.)
Labor force: 10.245 million (2021 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 14.9% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 13.4% NA
Rate ages 15 24 female: 19.3% NA
Population below poverty line: 33.1% (2015 est.)
Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 39 (2011 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.7%
Highest 10%: 32.7% (2006)
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget
Revenues: $30 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $76 million (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -46.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Taxes and other revenues: 44.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Public debt:
Note: data cover central government debt, as well as the debt of state-owned oil company PDVSA; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include some debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; some debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions
Revenue
Fiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer prices:
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance:
Exports:
Partners: India 34%, China 28%, United States 12%, Spain 6% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, industrial alcohols, gold, iron (2019)
Imports:
Partners: China 28%, United States 22%, Brazil 8%, Spain 6%, Mexico 6% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, rice, corn, tires, soybean meal, wheat (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Debt external:
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates:
Electricity
Access population without electricity: (2020) less than 1 million
Access electrification-total population: 99.9% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 100% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 99.8% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 32.956 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 78,082,020,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 870 million kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 26.452 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 30.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 69.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal
Production: 396,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 33,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 685,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 1,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 731 million metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 604,800 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 470,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 1,002,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 303.806 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Products production: 926,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 325,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 20,640 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Natural gas
Production: 22,694,584,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 22,694,584,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 5,673,894,000,000 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 103.708 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 108,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 57.378 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 46.222 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: 85.829 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3,146,844 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 17 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60 (2021 est.)
Telephone system
Broadcast media: Venezuela has a mixture of state-run and private broadcast media that are subject to high levels of regime control, including the shuttering of opposition-leaning media outlets; 13 public service networks, 61 privately owned TV networks, a privately owned news channel with limited national coverage, and a regime-backed Pan-American channel; 3 regime-run radio networks officially control roughly 65 news stations and another 30 stations targeted at specific audiences; regime-sponsored community broadcasters include 235 radio stations and 44 TV stations; the number of private broadcast radio stations has been declining, but many still remain in operation (2021)
Internet
Country code: .ve
Users total: 22,734,162 (2022 est.)
Users percent of population: 78.7% (2022 est.)
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,561,556 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)
Military expenditures:
Military and security forces:
Note 1: the Bolivarian Militia was added as a "special component" to the FANB in 2020; it is comprised of armed civilians who receive periodic training in exchange for a small stipend
Note 2: the National Guard, established in 1937 and made a component of the FANB in 2007, is responsible for maintaining public order, guarding the exterior of key government installations and prisons, conducting counter-narcotics operations, monitoring borders, and providing law enforcement in remote areas; it reports to both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace
Military service age and obligation: 18-30 (25 for women) for voluntary service; the minimum service obligation is 24-30 months; all citizens of military service age (18-50) are obligated to register for military service and subject to military training, although “forcible recruitment” is forbidden (2023)
Space program
Overview: has a small program primarily focused on the acquisition of satellites and developing the country’s space engineering and sciences capabilities; operates satellites and maintains two satellite ground control stations; has received technical assistance from China (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs
Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: National Liberation Army (ELN); Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP); Segundo Marquetalia
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations
National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 12 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 75
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 2,137,771 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1.55 million (2018) mt-km
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YV
Airports: 444 (2021)
With paved runways: 127
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 317
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Heliports: 3 (2021)
Pipelines: 981 km extra heavy crude, 5,941 km gas, 7,588 km oil, 1,778 km refined products (2013)
Railways
Total: 447 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 447 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (41.4 km electrified)
Roadways
Total: 96,189 km (2014)
Waterways: 7,100 km (2011) (Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels)
Merchant marine
Total: 272 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 3, container ship 1, general cargo 25, oil tanker 17, other 226
Ports and terminals
Major seaports: La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon
Oil terminals: Jose terminal
Disputes international: Venezuela-Brazil: none identified
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 39,185 (Colombia) (mid-year 2022)
Note: As of May 2023, approximately 7.32 Venezuelan refugees and migrants reside worldwide with 83.9% in Latin America and the Caribbean
Illicit drugs: a major drug-transit country and trafficking route in the Western Hemisphere for illegal drugs mainly cocaine; government depends on rents from narco-trafficking, along with other illicit activities, to maintain power; evidence of coca cultivation and cocaine production in domestic drug laboratories suggests the country is now also an illicit drug-producing country; a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics
Brave People's Alliance or ABP [Antonio LEDEZMA]
Cambiemos Movimiento Ciudadano or CMC [Timoteo ZAMBRANO]
Christian Democrats or COPEI [Juan Carlos ALVARADO Prato, Roberto ENRIQUEZ]
Citizens Encounter or EC [Delsa SOLORZANO]
Clear Accounts or CC [Enzo SCARANO]
Coalition of parties loyal to Nicolas MADURO - Great Patriotic Pole or GPP [Nicolas MADURO]
Coalition of opposition parties - Democratic Alliance (Alianza Democratica) (includes AD, EL CAMBIO, COPEI, CMC, and AP)
Come Venezuela (Vente Venezuela) or VV [Maria Corina MACHADO]
Communist Party of Venezuela or PCV [Oscar FIGUERA]
Consenso en la Zona or Conenzo [Enzo SCARANO and Leon JURADO]
Convergencia [Juan Jose CALDERA]
Democratic Action or AD [
Flag description
: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band; the flag retains the three equal horizontal bands and three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; yellow is interpreted as standing for the riches of the land, blue for the courage of its people, and red for the blood shed in attaining independence; the seven stars on the original flag represented the seven provinces in Venezuela that united in the war of independence; in 2006, then President Hugo CHAVEZ ordered an eighth star added to the star arc - a decision that sparked much controversy - to conform with the flag proclaimed by Simon Bolivar in 1827 and to represent the historic province of GuayanaNational symbols: troupial (bird); national colors: yellow, blue, red
National anthem
Name: "Gloria al bravo pueblo" (Glory to the Brave People)
Lyrics/music: Vicente SALIAS/Juan Jose LANDAETA
Note: adopted 1881; lyrics written in 1810, the music some years later; both SALIAS and LANDAETA were executed in 1814 during Venezuela's struggle for independence
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:
Venezuela - Economy 2023
top of pageEconomy overview: South American economy; ongoing hyperinflation since mid-2010s; chaotic economy due to political corruption, infrastructure cuts, and human rights abuses; in debt default; oil exporter; hydropower consumer; rising Chinese relations
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
$269.068 billion (2018 est.)
$381.6 billion (2017 est.)
$334.751 billion (2017 est.)
$381.6 billion (2017 est.)
$334.751 billion (2017 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real gdp growth rate:
-19.67% (2018 est.)
-14% (2017 est.)
-15.76% (2017 est.)
-14% (2017 est.)
-15.76% (2017 est.)
Real gdp per capita:
$7,704 (2018 est.)
$12,500 (2017 est.)
$9,417 (2017 est.)
$12,500 (2017 est.)
$9,417 (2017 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 68.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 19.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 13.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.7% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -10.7% (2017 est.)
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 40.4% (2017 est.)
Services: 54.9% (2017 est.)
Agriculture products: sugar cane, maize, milk, rice, plantains, bananas, pineapples, potatoes, beef, poultry
Industries: agricultural products, livestock, raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, iron and steel products, crude oil and petroleum products
Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2017 est.)
Labor force: 10.245 million (2021 est.)
Labor force
Unemployment rate:
6.41% (2021 est.)
6.63% (2020 est.)
5.1% (2019 est.)
6.63% (2020 est.)
5.1% (2019 est.)
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 14.9% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 13.4% NA
Rate ages 15 24 female: 19.3% NA
Population below poverty line: 33.1% (2015 est.)
Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 39 (2011 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.7%
Highest 10%: 32.7% (2006)
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget
Revenues: $30 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $76 million (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -46.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Taxes and other revenues: 44.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Public debt:
38.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
31.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
31.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Note: data cover central government debt, as well as the debt of state-owned oil company PDVSA; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include some debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; some debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions
Revenue
Fiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer prices:
146,101.7% (2019 est.)
45,518.1% (2018 est.)
416.8% (2017 est.)
45,518.1% (2018 est.)
416.8% (2017 est.)
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance:
-$3.87 billion (2016 est.)
-$3.87 billion (2016 est.)
-$3.87 billion (2016 est.)
Exports:
$83.401 billion (2018 est.)
$93.485 billion (2017 est.)
$93.485 billion (2017 est.)
Partners: India 34%, China 28%, United States 12%, Spain 6% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, industrial alcohols, gold, iron (2019)
Imports:
$18.432 billion (2018 est.)
$18.376 billion (2017 est.)
$18.376 billion (2017 est.)
Partners: China 28%, United States 22%, Brazil 8%, Spain 6%, Mexico 6% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, rice, corn, tires, soybean meal, wheat (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$9.794 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$11 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$11 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Debt external:
$100.3 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$109.8 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$109.8 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates:
bolivars (VEB) per US dollar - 9.975 (2017 est.)
9.257 (2016 est.)
6.284 (2015 est.)
6.284 (2014 est.)
6.048 (2013 est.)
9.257 (2016 est.)
6.284 (2015 est.)
6.284 (2014 est.)
6.048 (2013 est.)
Venezuela - Energy 2023
top of pageElectricity
Access population without electricity: (2020) less than 1 million
Access electrification-total population: 99.9% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 100% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 99.8% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 32.956 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 78,082,020,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 870 million kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 26.452 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 30.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 69.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal
Production: 396,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 33,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 685,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 1,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 731 million metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 604,800 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 470,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 1,002,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 303.806 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Products production: 926,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 325,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 20,640 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Natural gas
Production: 22,694,584,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 22,694,584,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 5,673,894,000,000 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 103.708 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 108,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 57.378 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 46.222 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: 85.829 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Venezuela - Communication 2023
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3,146,844 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 17 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60 (2021 est.)
Telephone system
Broadcast media: Venezuela has a mixture of state-run and private broadcast media that are subject to high levels of regime control, including the shuttering of opposition-leaning media outlets; 13 public service networks, 61 privately owned TV networks, a privately owned news channel with limited national coverage, and a regime-backed Pan-American channel; 3 regime-run radio networks officially control roughly 65 news stations and another 30 stations targeted at specific audiences; regime-sponsored community broadcasters include 235 radio stations and 44 TV stations; the number of private broadcast radio stations has been declining, but many still remain in operation (2021)
Internet
Country code: .ve
Users total: 22,734,162 (2022 est.)
Users percent of population: 78.7% (2022 est.)
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,561,556 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)
Venezuela - Military 2023
top of pageMilitary expenditures:
5.2% of GDP (2019 est.)
4.4% of GDP (2018 est.)
2.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
2.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
1.8% of GDP (2015 est.)
4.4% of GDP (2018 est.)
2.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
2.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
1.8% of GDP (2015 est.)
Military and security forces:
Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana, FANB): Bolivarian Army (Ejercito Bolivariano, EB), Bolivarian Navy (Armada Bolivariana, AB; includes marines, Coast Guard), Bolivarian Military Aviation (Aviacion Militar Bolivariana, AMB; includes a joint-service Aerospace Defense Command (Comando de Defensa Aeroespacial Integral, CODAI), Bolivarian Militia (Milicia Bolivariana), Bolivarian National Guard (Guardia Nacional Bolivaria, GNB)
Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace: Bolivarian National Police (Policía Nacional Bolivariana, PNB) (2023)
Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace: Bolivarian National Police (Policía Nacional Bolivariana, PNB) (2023)
Note 1: the Bolivarian Militia was added as a "special component" to the FANB in 2020; it is comprised of armed civilians who receive periodic training in exchange for a small stipend
Note 2: the National Guard, established in 1937 and made a component of the FANB in 2007, is responsible for maintaining public order, guarding the exterior of key government installations and prisons, conducting counter-narcotics operations, monitoring borders, and providing law enforcement in remote areas; it reports to both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace
Military service age and obligation: 18-30 (25 for women) for voluntary service; the minimum service obligation is 24-30 months; all citizens of military service age (18-50) are obligated to register for military service and subject to military training, although “forcible recruitment” is forbidden (2023)
Space program
Overview: has a small program primarily focused on the acquisition of satellites and developing the country’s space engineering and sciences capabilities; operates satellites and maintains two satellite ground control stations; has received technical assistance from China (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs
Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: National Liberation Army (ELN); Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP); Segundo Marquetalia
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations
Venezuela - Transportation 2023
top of pageNational air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 12 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 75
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 2,137,771 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1.55 million (2018) mt-km
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YV
Airports: 444 (2021)
With paved runways: 127
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 317
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Heliports: 3 (2021)
Pipelines: 981 km extra heavy crude, 5,941 km gas, 7,588 km oil, 1,778 km refined products (2013)
Railways
Total: 447 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 447 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (41.4 km electrified)
Roadways
Total: 96,189 km (2014)
Waterways: 7,100 km (2011) (Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels)
Merchant marine
Total: 272 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 3, container ship 1, general cargo 25, oil tanker 17, other 226
Ports and terminals
Major seaports: La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon
Oil terminals: Jose terminal
Venezuela - Transnational issues 2023
top of pageDisputes international: Venezuela-Brazil: none identified
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 39,185 (Colombia) (mid-year 2022)
Note: As of May 2023, approximately 7.32 Venezuelan refugees and migrants reside worldwide with 83.9% in Latin America and the Caribbean
Illicit drugs: a major drug-transit country and trafficking route in the Western Hemisphere for illegal drugs mainly cocaine; government depends on rents from narco-trafficking, along with other illicit activities, to maintain power; evidence of coca cultivation and cocaine production in domestic drug laboratories suggests the country is now also an illicit drug-producing country; a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics
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