This article is adapted from AQ’s special report on the Trump Doctrine
Venezuela
INTERIM PRESIDENT
Delcy Rodríguez
IN OFFICE
Since 2026
The U.S. military operation on January 3 to capture former dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and Trump’s assertion that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela potentially for “years,” represented a watershed moment in the nation’s history. The administration led by Interim President Delcy Rodríguez is working to reestablish diplomatic relations with the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described a “threefold process” for the country: stabilization (including receiving 30-50 million barrels of oil to sell at market prices), recovery, and transition. Following the Maduro raid, the Venezuelan government released some political prisoners and foreigners incarcerated in the country. Still, a sizable number of political dissenters remain behind bars. Analysts estimate that U.S. plans to revive Venezuela’s oil industry, which currently produces around 1 million barrels per day, could cost more than $100 billion over the next decade.
TRENDS TO WATCH
- Fallout from U.S. military action
- Rebuilding the oil and power sectors
- Spiraling inflation
GDP GROWTH
INFLATION RATE
KEY FIGURES
| Population (2026, millions) | 26.9 |
| Poverty rate (2023, IDB definition, see note below) | 71.0% |
| Unemployment rate (2024) | 5.5% |
| Informal employment rate (2017) | 58.3% |
| Secondary education completion rate (2021) | 73.5% |
ECONOMIC INDICATORS (2026 PROJECTIONS)
| GDP growth (annual % change) | -3.0% |
| Inflation rate (annual % change) | 682.1% |
| Fiscal balance (% GDP) | -5.5% |
| China’s share of total export value (2024) | 11.4% |
| U.S. share of total export value (2024) | 45.0% |
NOTES: Poverty line is $6.85 per day in 2017 PPP. Percentages rounded to nearest decimal point.
SOURCES: GDP growth, inflation, fiscal balance, population: IMF (Oct. 2025); Share of total export value: International Trade Centre; Poverty rate: IDB (2024); Unemployment rate, informal employment rate: ILO; Secondary education completion rate: IDB.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emilie Sweigart
Reading Time: 2 minutesSweigart is an editor at Americas Quarterly and a policy manager at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas
