Page last modified 20 August 2023
Venezuela
Community
Area 912,050 square kilometres (land area 882,050 square kilometres)
Population,
1,356,000 (1850)
2,075,245 (1881)
2,323,527 (1891)
3,850,771 (1941)
5,034,838 (1950)
8,141,000 (1960)
11,396,000 (1970)
15,182,000 (1980)
19,633,000 (1990)
24,192,000 (2000)
28,440,000 (2010)
30,082,000 (2015)
28,870,000 (2018)
Ethnicity and Religion, %
|
|
Amerindian |
Black |
Mixed race |
White |
|
1900 |
15.7 |
|
|
|
|
1975 |
2.0 |
10.0 |
67.0 |
21.0 |
|
1981 |
2.0 |
9.0 |
69.0 |
20.0 |
|
1990 |
2.0 |
9.0 |
70.0 |
19.0 |
|
2011 |
|
3.6 |
51.6 |
43.6 |
Religion, %,
|
|
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
Jewish |
No religion |
|
1981 |
|
94.0 |
|
|
|
1990 |
|
92.0 |
0.1 |
|
|
2011 |
17.0 |
71.0 |
0.0 |
8.0 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1890 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
8.0 |
|
1930 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
30.0 |
|
1950 |
|
47.0 (+35.0) |
106.0 |
12.0 |
43.6 |
1.8 |
53.0 |
|
1960 |
6.6 |
44.0 (+34.0) |
59.6 |
10.0 |
45.8 |
2.3 |
61.6 |
|
1970 |
5.4 |
36.0 (+29.0) |
48.0 |
7.0 |
46.3 |
2.6 |
71.9 |
|
1980 |
4.2 |
29.0 (+23.4) |
36.0 |
5.6 |
41.0 |
3.2 |
79.2 |
|
1990 |
3.4 |
30.0 (+24.7) |
25.0 |
5.3 |
37.9 |
3.7 |
84.3 |
|
2000 |
2.8 |
23.0 (+18.0) |
19.0 |
5.0 |
34.2 |
4.3 |
88.0 |
|
2010 |
2.5 |
21.0 (+16.7) |
14.7 |
5.3 |
29.8 |
5.5 |
88.8 |
|
2015 |
2.3 |
19.3 (+13.7) |
16.8 |
5.6 |
28.2 |
6.3 |
89.0 |
|
2016 |
|
|
21.4 |
|
27.9 |
6.4 |
89.0 |
|
2017 |
2.3 |
18.2 (+12.5) |
21.4 |
5.7 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
21.4 |
|
27.7 |
7.3 |
|
Life expectancy,
55.2 (1952); 54.0 (M), 57.0 (F)
59.3 (1960); 57.7 (M), 61.0 (F)
64.6 (1970); 62.2 (M), 67.2 (F)
68.2 (1980); 65.3 (M), 71.2 (F)
69.8 (1990); 67.1 (M), 72.7 (F)
72.3 (2000); 68.5 (M), 76.4 (F)
73.7 (2010); 69.6 (M), 77.9 (F)
74.1 (2020); 69.5 (M), 79.0 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1000s MA = Metropolitan Area
|
|
Barquisimeto1 |
CARACAS2 |
Cuidad Guayana |
Maracaibo |
Maracay |
Valencia |
|
1771 |
|
19 |
|
|
|
|
|
1800 |
|
40 |
|
|
|
|
|
1881 |
|
56 |
|
|
|
|
|
1891 |
|
72 |
|
|
|
|
|
1900 |
40 |
100 |
|
35 |
|
39 |
|
1940 |
54 |
269 |
|
112 |
32 |
53 |
|
1950 |
105 |
495 |
|
236 |
65 |
89 |
|
1960 |
195 |
739 |
|
405 |
|
|
|
1965 |
|
1,485 MA |
100 |
|
|
|
|
1971 |
331 |
|
144 |
|
255 |
367 |
|
1981 |
523 |
|
314 |
890 |
388 |
624 |
|
1990 |
787 |
1,825 MA |
543 |
1,600 |
957 |
1,724 |
|
2009 |
1,159 |
|
|
2,153 |
1,040 |
1,738 |
|
2011 |
1,996 |
2,924 MA |
1,050 |
|
955 |
1,900 |
|
2013 |
|
|
|
2,658 |
|
|
1Barquismeto was founded in 1522; the railway from Valencia was opened in 1893
2Caracas was founded 1561, destroyed by Indian attacks, re-founded in 1567.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
1,478 |
0.66 |
322 |
21.11 |
|
1955 |
3,600 |
1.01 |
|
|
|
1960 |
8,737 |
1.61 |
1,072 |
35.65 |
|
1965 |
9,500 |
1.28 |
970 |
25.34 |
|
1970 |
12,900 |
1.24 |
1,100 |
20.96 |
|
1975 |
31,850 |
1.95 |
2,340 |
29.92 |
|
1980 |
69,840 |
2.50 |
4,650 |
36.91 |
|
1985 |
61,970 |
1.47 |
3,300 |
18.06 |
|
1990 |
48,390 |
0.83 |
2,482 |
10.36 |
|
1995 |
77,320 |
1.04 |
3,539 |
11.77 |
|
2000 |
120,490 |
1.21 |
5,015 |
13.76 |
|
2005 |
145,500 |
1.11 |
5,430 |
12.26 |
|
2010 |
392,000 |
2.62 |
13,540 |
27.99 |
|
2016 |
236,400 |
1.27 |
|
|
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
35.0 |
|
22.0 |
|
43.0 |
|
1970 |
9.0 |
25.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
7.0 |
18.0 |
16.0 |
15.2 |
58.5 |
56.5 |
|
1990 |
6.0 |
13.0 |
35.0 |
25.0 |
59.0 |
65.0 |
|
2000 |
4.0 |
10.0 |
34.0 |
22.0 |
54.4 |
69.0 |
|
2010 |
4.7 |
7.3 |
34.9 |
21.8 |
60.4 |
71.0 |
|
2016 |
4.0 |
|
35.5 |
|
60.6 |
|
Communications
Language Official; Spanish.� English is the second language.
Spanish, 98.0% (1990)
Literacy
63.0% (1960)
76.5% (1980); 79.7% (M), 73.4% (F)
84.7% (1990); 87.5% (M), 83.0% (F)
92.6% (2000); 93.1% (M), 92.1% (F)
97.1% (2015); 97.0% (M), 97.2% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1938 |
9,472 |
|
|
|
|
|
1955 |
|
|
243,800 |
146,200 |
|
|
1959 |
24,923 |
6,264 |
|
239,000 |
92,411 |
|
1962 |
26,400 |
|
|
280,000 |
|
|
1963 |
28,198 |
13,220 |
450,000 |
286,600 |
101,922 |
|
1975 |
|
19,000 |
1,324,600 |
955,200 |
369,400 |
|
1985 |
62,601 |
24,036 |
3,400,000 |
1,600,000 |
|
|
1996 |
84,300 |
33,200 |
|
|
434,000 |
|
2002 |
96,160 |
|
|
1,875,500 |
603,600 |
|
2007 |
|
|
4,044,000 |
2,952,100 |
|
|
2010 |
|
|
4,908,000 |
|
|
|
2014 |
96,189 |
|
|
|
|
Railways First railway opened 1877.
Length, kilometres, (% electrified)
592 (1900)
456 (1959)
473 (1963)
419 (1980)
336 (1985)
336 (1994)
447 (2014) (9.3% e)
Urban metro systems, kilometres (year opened)
|
|
Caracas (1983) |
Los Teques (2006) |
Maracaibo (2006) |
Valencia (2006) |
|
2010 |
54.1 |
9.5 |
6.5 |
4.7 |
|
2015 |
54.1 |
10.2 |
6.5 |
4.7 |
Electronic communications, TV broadcasts began 1952
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
21,880 |
|
85,000 |
|
|
|
|
1948 |
52,618 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
218,000 |
|
|
|
|
1959 |
158,875 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
1,250,000 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
|
|
1,300,000 |
263,000 |
|
|
|
1962 |
215,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1969 |
345,704 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1975 |
501,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
800,000 |
|
|
1,850,000 |
|
|
|
1982 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1983 |
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
1986 |
|
|
7,500,000 |
2,500,000 |
|
|
|
1988 |
|
1,800 |
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
1990 |
1,488,000 |
7,422 |
8,600,000 |
3,100,000 |
200,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
404,000 |
10,000,000 |
3,700,000 |
600,000 |
|
|
1997 |
|
|
10,750,000 |
|
|
12,000 |
|
2000 |
2,536,000 |
5,447,000 |
|
4,500,000 |
1,100,000 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,274,000 |
|
2005 |
|
12,495,700 |
|
5,500,000 |
2,475,000 |
2,500,000 |
|
2010 |
7,083,000 |
|
|
|
|
9,000,000 |
|
2016 |
7,752,232 |
27,600,000 |
|
|
|
18,550,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Venezuela,
652,000 (1977)
615,000 (1987)
525,000 (1990)
700,000 (1995)
469,000 (2000)
706,000 (2005)
526,000 (2010)
988,000 (2012)
789,000 (2015)