Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela)

Venezuela Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	122nd best
Capital	Caracas
Land Area	882 050km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	28.9m2
Life Expectancy	70.55yrs (2017)3
GNI	$4 811 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	VE, VEN, 8625
Internet Domain	.ve6
Currency	Bolivar (VEB)7
Telephone	+588

1. Overview
2. Venezuela National and Social Development
3. Venezuela's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Venezuela's Health
6. Venezuela's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Venezuela's Modernity and Learning
8. Venezuela's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#colombia #ecuador

“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 generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Hugo CHAVEZ, president from 1999 to 2013, sought to implement his "21st Century Socialism," which purported to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking capitalist globalization and existing democratic institutions. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, rampant violent crime, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“`La Tierra de Gracia´ (Land of Grace), as Christopher Columbus called Venezuela in 1498, is nothing if not strangely beautiful and beautifully strange. While other South American countries are romanticized for the tango, Machu Picchu or Carnaval, Venezuela´s international reputation swirls around oil and the next international beauty-pageant winner. But through the rhetorical looking glass lies a little-known secret: Venezuela can be shockingly gorgeous and, though criminally undervisited, offers more to travelers than even the most intrepid explorers are aware.

The sixth-largest country in South America boasts Andean peaks; the longest stretch of Caribbean coastline to be found in any single nation; tranquil offshore islands set amid turquoise seas; wetlands teeming with caimans, capybaras, piranhas and anacondas; the steamy Amazon; and rolling savanna punctuated by flat-topped mountains called tepuis. Those seeking adventure will find hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, kitesurfing, windsurfing, paragliding and more. Even better, Venezuela is relatively compact - no thrill is discouragingly too far from the next.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Venezuela National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
117	Botswana	0.693
118=	Bolivia	0.692
118=	Kyrgyzstan	0.692
120	Venezuela	0.691
121	Iraq	0.686
122	Tajikistan	0.685
123=	Belize	0.683
123=	Morocco	0.683
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
138	Ivory Coast	$5 217
139	Mauritania	$5 075
140	Djibouti	$5 025
141	Venezuela	$4 811
142	Nigeria	$4 790
143	Pakistan	$4 624
144	Marshall Islands	$4 620
145	Kyrgyzstan	$4 566
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	29.1
2	Norway	32.3
3	Sweden	34.1
	...
119	Lebanon	96.9
120	Algeria	97.4
121	Namibia	97.6
122	Venezuela	98.6
123	Brunei	99.1
124	Nicaragua	99.1
125	Kenya	99.6
126	Iran	99.9
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.9
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Venezuela's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

Venezuela's population is predicted to rise to 37.04 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 2.19. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
45	Angola	30.8m
46	Ghana	29.8m
47	Mozambique	29.5m
48	Venezuela	28.9m
49	Yemen	28.5m
50	Nepal	28.1m
51	Madagascar	26.3m
52	N. Korea	25.5m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
107	Uzbekistan	70.9
108	El Salvador	70.7
109	Micronesia	70.7
110	Venezuela	70.6
111	Jamaica	70.5
112	Belize	70.5
113	Vanuatu	70.4
114	Iraq	70.4
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
21	Greenland	1.84
22	Gibraltar	1.84
23	Peru	2.16
24	Venezuela	2.19
25	Romania	1.81
26	Mexico	1.80
27=	Montenegro	1.80
27=	Moldova	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
98	Mexico	15.4
99	Peru	15.5
100=	Dominican Rep.	15.6
100=	Venezuela	15.6
100=	Kazakhstan	15.6
103	Ecuador	16.0
104	Morocco	16.1
105=	Suriname	16.2
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
85	Argentina	4.9%
86	Panama	4.7%
87	Tonga	4.6%
88	Venezuela	4.5%
89	Lithuania	4.3%
90	St Vincent & Grenadines	4.2%
91	Czechia	4.1%
92	Uganda	3.9%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
154	Chad	2.1%
155	Australia	2.1%
156	Serbia	2.0%
157	Venezuela	1.8%
158	S. Africa	1.7%
159	Iran	1.7%
160	Libya	1.7%
161	Gabon	1.7%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#antisemitism #canada #equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #venezuela #venezuela_antisemitism

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
99	Antigua & Barbuda	87.1
100	Fiji	87.1
101	Turkey	87.4
102	Venezuela	88.1
103	Sri Lanka	89.6
104	Thailand	90.0
	The Americas Avg	71.80
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

Venezuela is very poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world, and it has cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Venezuela does better than average in terms of its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₁₉, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₀, LGBT equality₂₁ and in freethought₂₂. Venezuela still has work to do. Venezuela does worse than average in the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₃ (one of the highest in The Americas), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₄ (one of the lowest in The Americas), eliminating modern slavery₂₅ (one of the worst in The Americas), opposing gender inequality₂₆ (one of the worst in The Americas), supporting press freedom₂₇ (amongst the worst in The Americas) and in its average Freedom in the World rating (one of the worst in The Americas). And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₈ (the highest in The Americas). President Nicolás Maduro has been increasingly dictatorial, damaging and dismantling Venezuela's democratic institutions₂₉. Security forces are increasingly abusive₂₉. The justice system is no longer independent of government₂₉. Harassment of critics continues, with arbitrary arrests of opponents "as his rule became more brutal and autocratic" at the expense of good governance - food and medicine shortages have come to affect many₂₉. The United Nations reported in 2017 that rights abuses have been extensive₂₉. Eleven Latin American states (and Canada) signed the Lima Declaration in 2017, condemning "the assault on democratic order and the systematic violation of human rights in Venezuela"₂₉. By 2021, the Global Peace Index categorized Political Terror in this country to be in the worst possible category (5/5), and rated it as one of the most disturbed countries in the world₃₀.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Venezuela

5. Venezuela's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines #venezuela

Compared to The Americas (2025)31
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank31
1	Curaço	49.7
2	Aruba	49.9
3	US Virgin Islands	51.9
	...
32	Guyana	106.6
33	Mexico	107.1
34	Suriname	108.3
35	Venezuela	109.3
36	Dominican Rep.	109.8
37	Puerto Rico	109.9
38	Paraguay	113.6
39	Haiti	115.3
40	Nicaragua	117.0
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=44.

Health (2025)31
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank31
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
132	Djibouti	108.3
133	Suriname	108.3
134	Libya	108.5
135	Venezuela	109.3
136	Eritrea	109.3
137	Dominican Rep.	109.8
138	Puerto Rico	109.9
139	Tajikistan	110.6
	World Avg	97.60
q=213.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₃₂. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Cook Islands, The Marshall Islands and Niue₃₂.

25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₃₂, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Australasia₃₂.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Venezuela has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Venezuela comes in the best 20 for its suicide rate₃₃. It does better than average when it comes to its fertility rate₁₄, its alcohol consumption rate₃₄ and in its smoking rate₃₅ (but bad for The Americas). But, there's bad news too. Venezuela does worse than average for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₆, its average life expectancy₁₁, the prevalence of overweight adults₃₇, its immunizations take-up₃₈ (amongst the worst in The Americas) and in its adolescent birth rate₃₉ (one of the worst in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Venezuela was static between 1990 and 2019, whereas almost all of the rest of the world improved. In the 2010s, Venezuela was one of only 12 countries that saw their life expectancy drop, although only by a small amount. Venezuela's peak fertility rate was 6.36 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
107	Uzbekistan	70.9
108	El Salvador	70.7
109	Micronesia	70.7
110	Venezuela	70.6
111	Jamaica	70.5
112	Belize	70.5
113	Vanuatu	70.4
114	Iraq	70.4
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better34
Pos.		2016 Per Capita34
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
82	Nicaragua	5.2
83	Turkmenistan	5.4
84	Armenia	5.5
85	Venezuela	5.6
86=	Sierra Leone	5.7
86=	India	5.7
86=	Cape Verde	5.7
89	Liberia	5.8
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
21	Greenland	1.84
22	Gibraltar	1.84
23	Peru	2.16
24	Venezuela	2.19
25	Romania	1.81
26	Mexico	1.80
27=	Montenegro	1.80
27=	Moldova	1.80
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better35
Pos.		201435
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
88	Iceland	551
89	Norway	556
90	Gabon	559
91	Venezuela	565
92	Uzbekistan	573
93	Oman	577
94	Malaysia	584
95	Seychelles	590
	The Americas Avg	457
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate33
Pos.		2013 Per 100k33
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
12	Dominican Rep.	4.6
13	St Lucia	4.9
14	Tajikistan	5.2
15	Venezuela	6.5
16	Malta	6.9
17	Greece	7
18	Paraguay	7.1
19=	St Vincent & Grenadines	7.3
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
101	Tanzania	101
102	Equatorial Guinea	102
103	Barbados	103
104	Venezuela	104
105	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	105
106	Serbia	106
107	Zimbabwe	107
108	Central African Rep.	108
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better37
Pos.		1976 %37
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
146	Macedonia	39.2
147	Saudi Arabia	39.4
148=	Iraq	40.0
148=	Venezuela	40.0
148=	Italy	40.0
151	France	40.4
152=	Argentina	40.4
152=	Chile	40.4
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better40
Pos.		2022 %40
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
90	Slovenia	22.2%
91	Malaysia	22.4%
92	Iceland	22.6%
93	Venezuela	22.8%
94	Israel	23.4%
95	Cuba	23.5%
96	Finland	23.7%
97	Colombia	23.9%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better39
Pos.		2022 Per 100039
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
163	Sao Tome & Principe	77.4
164	Sudan	77.6
165	Afghanistan	79.7
166	Venezuela	82.0
167	Nicaragua	84.0
168	Guinea-Bissau	85.8
169	Lesotho	89.1
170	Gabon	89.8
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better38
Pos.		2015 Avg %38
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
151	Comoros	81.8
152	Marshall Islands	81.8
153	Mozambique	81.4
154	Venezuela	80.6
155	Myanmar (Burma)	80.3
156=	Benin	80.1
156=	Guinea-Bissau	80.1
158	Tonga	80.0
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Venezuela's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism #venezuela

Compared to The Americas (2025)41
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank41
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
	...
17	Bolivia	81.8
18	Panama	82.5
19	Honduras	84.6
20	Venezuela	86.1
21	Canada	87.2
22	Guyana	87.4
23	Jamaica	88.6
24	Paraguay	91.0
25	Belize	91.3
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)41
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank41
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
107	Djibouti	84.5
108	Honduras	84.6
109	Zambia	85.4
110	Venezuela	86.1
111	Taiwan	86.1
112	Macedonia	86.9
113	Canada	87.2
114	Guyana	87.4
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₂. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Regarding its responsibility towards the environment, Venezuela comes 110th in the world. This rank is computed using 21 data sets. Venezuela does better than average for the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₃ (but bad for The Americas), its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, its environmental performance₄₄ and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₅ (one of the best in The Americas). But, things still need to improve in Venezuela. Venezuela does worse than average in terms of its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₆. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in terms of energy to GDP efficiency₄₇ (one of the highest in The Americas).

Environmental Performance Higher is better44
Pos.		201844
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
48	Estonia	64.3
49	Singapore	64.2
50	Poland	64.1
51	Venezuela	63.9
52	Russia	63.8
53	Brunei	63.6
54	Morocco	63.5
55	Cuba	63.4
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better47
Pos.		2022 Avg47
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
158	Mozambique	2.38
159	N. Korea	2.46
160	Laos	2.75
161	Iceland	4.01
162	Venezuela	4.18
163	Bahrain	4.19
164	Trinidad & Tobago	4.64
165	Turkmenistan	4.69
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
29	UK	70%
30	Tunisia	70%
31	Austria	70%
32	Venezuela	70%
33	Kazakhstan	70%
34	Jordan	69%
35	Portugal	69%
36	Costa Rica	69%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better43
Pos.		2011 %43
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
24	Angola	62.4%
25	Bangladesh	61.5%
26	Mali	60.7%
27	Venezuela	60.1%
28	Morocco	60.0%
29	Malta	57.3%
30	Ecuador	57.2%
31	Portugal	55.8%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better45
Pos.		2021 kg45
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
63	Burkina Faso	33.3
64	Central African Rep.	34.4
65	Comoros	34.5
66	Venezuela	35.6
67	Jordan	36.0
68	Lebanon	36.3
69	Paraguay	36.4
70	Azerbaijan	37.1
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, Venezuela decreased its meat consumption more than any other country, its population coming to eat half as much meat (34.3kg) as they used to (72.2kg) per year.₄₅

7. Venezuela's Modernity and Learning

#bolivia #education #intelligence #modernity #politics #religion #religiosity #secularisation #technology #the_internet #venezuela #yemen

Compared to The Americas (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1=	Canada	21.8
2	USA	26.4
3	Argentina	38.2
	...
22	St Lucia	86.3
23=	Dominican Rep.	87.1
23=	Panama	87.1
25	Venezuela	89.0
26	Belize	89.1
27	Jamaica	94.6
28	Paraguay	103.1
29	Suriname	106.6
30	El Salvador	109.2
	The Americas Avg	81.34
q=35.

Modernity & Learning (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
103=	Panama	87.1
104	Andorra	87.1
105	India	87.8
106	Venezuela	89.0
107	Belize	89.1
108	Oman	89.8
109	Palestine	91.6
110	Mongolia	91.7
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₉. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₉. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₀.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₁

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₉, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₉.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education:

In the 2000s, Venezuela increased its expected duration of education by almost 4 years, the seventh-highest rise of any country in that decade, although it fell back by 0.8 years in the 2010s. ₅₂

Secondary Education Higher is better53
Pos.		201853
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
77	Brunei	70.1%
78	Iran	69.8%
79	Vietnam	69.4%
80	Venezuela	69.2%
81	Qatar	67.5%
82	Mauritius	66.9%
83	Oman	66.4%
84	Jamaica	66.3%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better54
Pos.		2021 Years54
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
116	Nepal	12.9
117	St Lucia	12.9
118	Libya	12.9
119	Venezuela	12.8
120	Malawi	12.7
121	El Salvador	12.7
122	Nicaragua	12.6
123	Qatar	12.6
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
146	Philippines	146
147	Mozambique	147
148	Lesotho	148
149	Venezuela	149
150	Libya	150
151	Gabon	151
152	Sierra Leone	152
153	Cambodia	153
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Religiosity Lower is better55
Pos.		2018 %55
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
54=	Paraguay	56
55	Lebanon	57
56	Panama	61
57	Venezuela	67
58	Turkey	68
59=	Bolivia	71
59=	Botswana	71
61	Brazil	72
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better56
Pos.		200656
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
73=	Trinidad & Tobago	85
73=	Peru	85
73=	Cuba	85
76	Venezuela	84
77=	Colombia	84
77=	Jordan	84
77=	Afghanistan	84
77=	UAE	84
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better57
Pos.		201657
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
81	Bulgaria	59%
82=	Turkey	58%
82=	Romania	58%
84	Venezuela	58%
85=	Seychelles	58%
86	Morocco	58%
87	Colombia	57%
88	Costa Rica	56%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet Lower is better58
Pos.		201258
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
24	Jordan	45
25=	Turkey	46
25=	Tunisia	46
27	Venezuela	48
28	Azerbaijan	50
29	Rwanda	51
30	Russia	52
31	Zimbabwe	54
	The Americas Avg	39.3
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better59
Pos.		2017 Ratio59
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
111=	Guernsey	0.0
111=	Bahamas	0.0
111=	Antigua & Barbuda	0.0
111=	Venezuela	0.0
111=	Kazakhstan	0.0
111=	New Caledonia	0.0
111=	Maldives	0.0
118	Tunisia	0.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better60
Pos.		202460
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
103	Laos	31.5%
104	Guatemala	31.0%
105	Nepal	30.3%
106	Venezuela	30.1%
107	Zambia	30.1%
108	El Salvador	30.0%
109	Cambodia	29.4%
110	Honduras	28.5%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

Venezuela has notorious problems with mobile internet access speeds, measuring the 3rd-worst of 121 countries (after Yemen and Bolivia)₆₁.

8. Venezuela's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #charity #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism #venezuela

Compared to The Americas (2020)62
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank62
1	Canada	23.1
2	Barbados	46.9
3	Costa Rica	47.3
	...
25	Bolivia	88.8
26	St Vincent & Grenadines	89.2
27	Nicaragua	92.1
28	Colombia	92.6
29	Grenada	93.0
30	Paraguay	95.5
31	Honduras	96.1
32	Venezuela	113.1
33	Haiti	120.8
	The Americas Avg	79.19
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)62
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank62
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
158	Papua New Guinea	110.3
159	Cambodia	110.5
160	Zimbabwe	110.9
161	Venezuela	113.1
162	Mali	115.6
163	Congo, (Brazzaville)	115.7
164	Libya	115.8
165	Iraq	116.6
	World Avg	78.12
q=180.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture:

World Giving Index Higher is better63
Pos.		2022 %63
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
32=	Malta	45.0
32=	Singapore	45.0
32=	Macedonia	45.0
32=	Venezuela	45.0
32=	Norway	45.0
32=	Austria	45.0
38	Sri Lanka	44.0
39=	Ethiopia	44.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better64
Pos.		2022 Points64
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
173	Libya	17.0
174=	Haiti	17.0
174=	Burundi	17.0
176	Yemen	16.0
177	Venezuela	14.0
178=	S. Sudan	13.0
178=	Syria	13.0
180	Somalia	12.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

When the Corruption Perception Index was launched in 1995, Venezuela had the 4th-worst score of the 50-or-so countries for which they initially gathered data.

Happiness Higher is better65
Pos.		2024 Score65
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
79	Libya	5.8
80	Moldova	5.8
81	Greece	5.8
82	Venezuela	5.7
83	Indonesia	5.6
84	Algeria	5.6
85	Bulgaria	5.6
86	Macedonia	5.5
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
151	Guinea-Bissau	151
152	Syria	152
153	Liberia	153
154	Venezuela	154
155	Yemen	155
156	Iraq	156
157	Iran	157
158	Gabon	158
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
153	Iraq	153
154	Paraguay	154
155	Grenada	155
156	Venezuela	156
157	Bahrain	157
158	Mauritania	158
159	Brunei	159
160	Algeria	160
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability:

Global Peace Index Lower is better66
Pos.		2023 Score66
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
138	Niger	2.63
139	Cameroon	2.66
140=	Colombia	2.69
140=	Venezuela	2.69
142	Chad	2.70
143	Israel	2.71
144	Nigeria	2.71
145	Myanmar (Burma)	2.74
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
115	Greece	115
116	Trinidad & Tobago	116
117	Benin	117
118	Venezuela	118
119	Angola	119
120	Ivory Coast	120
121	Kyrgyzstan	121
122	Guinea	122
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
88	Niger	88
89	India	89
90	Cameroon	90
91	Venezuela	91
92	Belarus	92
93	Ghana	93
94	Qatar	94
95	Peru	95
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better67
Pos.		2019 Score67
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
101	Tajikistan	3.95
102	Uganda	3.96
103	Mexico	4.08
104	Venezuela	4.10
105	Chile	4.12
106	Greece	4.17
107	Germany	4.25
108	Lebanon	4.40
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better68
Pos.		201968
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
120	Dominican Rep.	17.00
121=	Sao Tome & Principe	17.00
122	Bhutan	17.10
123=	Venezuela	17.10
124	Bangladesh	17.30
125	Nepal	17.50
126	Cambodia	18.10
127	Guyana	19.00
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better69
Pos.		2023 %69
1	Slovakia	24.1%70
2	Slovenia	24.3%70
3	Belarus	24.4%71
	...
144	Turkey	44.4%70
145	Ecuador	44.6%72
146=	Congo, DR	44.7%71
146=	Venezuela	44.7%73
148	Lesotho	44.9%74
149	Paraguay	45.1%75
150	Comoros	45.3%76
151	Nicaragua	46.2%76
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)55
Pos.		Lower is better %55
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
54=	Paraguay	56
55	Lebanon	57
56	Panama	61
57	Venezuela	67
58	Turkey	68
59=	Bolivia	71
59=	Botswana	71
61	Brazil	72
62=	Egypt	72
63	Algeria	73
64=	Peru	73
65	S. Africa	75
66=	Ecuador	76
66=	Costa Rica	76
68	Puerto Rico	77
69=	Malaysia	77
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)77
Pos.		Higher is better %77
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
79=	Brazil	1
79=	Ecuador	1
79=	S. Africa	1
79=	Venezuela	1
79=	Peru	1
79=	Guatemala	1
79=	El Salvador	1
79=	Panama	1
87	Somalia	0
88=	Sri Lanka	0
88=	Burundi	0
88=	Burkina Faso	0
88=	Brunei	0
88=	Botswana	0
88=	Syria	0
88=	Sierra Leone	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₇₈:

Christian	89.3%
Muslim	0.3%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.2%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	10%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 90.1% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 67% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%₇₉.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?