Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Venezuela instead of Colombia, you would:

Health

live 1.6 years less

In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 75 years (71 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In Venezuela, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

be 14.8% more likely to be obese

In Colombia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Venezuela, that number is 25.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 42.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Colombia, 9.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Venezuela, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.

make 59.0% less money

Colombia has a GDP per capita of $18,800 as of 2023, while in Venezuela, the GDP per capita is $7,704 as of 2018.

Life

have 12.1% more children

In Colombia, there are approximately 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Venezuela, there are 16.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Colombia, approximately 75.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Venezuela, 259.0 women do as of 2020.

be 52.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Colombia, approximately 11.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Venezuela, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 73.5% less on education

Colombia spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Venezuela spends 1.3% of total GDP on education as of 2017.

spend 57.8% less on healthcare

Colombia spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Venezuela, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 12.7% less coastline

Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Venezuela, that number is 2,800 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Venezuela: At a glance

Venezuela is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 882,050 sq km. 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. His hand-picked successor, President Nicolas MADURO, continues CHAVEZ's socialist programs. 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, foreign exchange controls that discourage private-sector investment, high inflation, a decline in the quality of fundamental houman rights, and widespread scarcity of consumer goods.
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How big is Venezuela compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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