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VENEZUELA
WORLD RANK:
179
REGIONAL RANK:
32
ECONOMIC FREEDOM STATUS:
REPRESSED
W
orsening shortages of food, medicines, and other consumer goods, combined with triple-digit inflation that has
eroded monetary stability, have drastically undermined Venezuela’s already fragile economy. Years of interventionist and market-distorting policies, including nationalizations and restrictions
on imports, have resulted in dire economic conditions. There is a
substantial risk that civil unrest may spiral out of control.
Venezuela’s economy has been stifled by blatant disregard for
both the rule of law and the principle of limited government. The
private sector has been severely marginalized by institutional
impediments related to government encroachment into the
marketplace. The judicial system has become more vulnerable to
political interference, and corruption is prevalent.
ECONOMIC FREEDOM SCORE
27.0

( ▼ DOWN 6.7 POINTS )
0
50
60
70
80
60.0
60.9
REGIONAL AVERAGE
WORLD AVERAGE
(AMERICAS REGION)
NOTABLE SUCCESSES:
None
100
CONCERNS:
Rule of Law, Regulatory Efficiency,
and Open Markets
OVERALL SCORE CHANGE
SINCE 2013:
–9.1
QUICK FACTS
FREEDOM TREND
60
POPULATION:
30.9 million
50
GDP (PPP):
$515.7 billion
–5.7% growth in 2015
5-year compound
annual growth 0.3%
$16,673 per capita
40
30
UNEMPLOYMENT:
8.0%
INFLATION (CPI):
121.7%
FDI INFLOW:
$1.6 billion
PUBLIC DEBT:
48.8% of GDP
20
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
2015 data unless otherwise noted. Data compiled as of September 2016
BACKGROUND: After decades under generally benevolent military rule, Venezuela’s modern democratic
era began in 1959. Under the late Hugo Chávez, president from 1999 to 2013, and his handpicked successor,
current President Nicolás Maduro, the executive branch has exercised increasingly authoritarian control,
and democratic institutions have deteriorated. Venezuelans enjoy few civil liberties and little economic
freedom. Violent crime is rampant. A founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and is highly dependent on oil revenues,
which account for almost all exports and half of state revenues. Production has fallen due to government
mismanagement of state-owned oil company PDVSA.
98
2017 Index of Economic Freedom
KEY:
WORLD AVERAGE
RULE OF LAW
182nd
GOVERNMENT SIZE
178th
183rd
100
100
80
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
6.8
0
Judicial
Effectiveness
Government
Integrity
Expropriations, weak public-sector institutions,
and lack of judicial independence undermine real
property rights. The government’s economic policies,
particularly currency and price controls, have greatly
increased opportunities for corruption, black-market activity, and collusion between public officials
and organized crime networks. Spiraling rates of
violent crime have encouraged the outmigration of
skilled workers.
135th
163rd
72.5
51.5
15.2
Tax
Burden
Government
Spending
Fiscal
Health
Rank
182nd
Both the top personal income tax rate and the top
corporate tax rate are 34 percent. Other taxes include
a value-added tax. The overall tax burden equals
20.9 percent of total domestic income. Government
spending has amounted to 40.2 percent of total
output (GDP) over the past three years, and budget
deficits have averaged 16.1 percent of GDP. Public debt
is equivalent to 48.8 percent of GDP.
OPEN MARKETS
182nd
166th
100
100
80
80
70
70
60
60
50
50

REGULATORY EFFICIENCY
177th
132nd
11.6
10.3
0
Property
Rights
VENEZUELA
12 ECONOMIC FREEDOMS | VENEZUELA
175th
173rd
Rank
10.0
0
39.7
28.5
16.8
Business
Freedom
Labor
Freedom
Monetary
Freedom
Bureaucratic interference has severely undercut
regulatory efficiency and productivity growth. The
labor market remains rigidly controlled and severely
impedes dynamic employment creation. Although
the central bank did not release any official inflation
statistics in 2016, a Caracas think tank (CENDA) has
estimated that annual inflation is more than 600 percent, driven by the severe scarcity of imported goods.
0
60.7
0.0
Trade
Freedom
Investment
Freedom
Financial
Freedom
Trade is moderately important to Venezuela’s economy; the value of exports and imports taken together
equals 37 percent of GDP. The average applied tariff
rate is 9.7 percent. Numerous government policies
discourage foreign investment, and state-owned enterprises significantly distort the economy. The financial
system remains hobbled by state interference and
uncertainty about the direction of economic policies.
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