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Policy profile on 12 axes

How Venezuela Is Governed

Venezuela is a federal state that scores 0.04 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 21% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is abolished and same-sex marriage is banned in law. Below: the laws, institutions and public spending of Venezuela, scored on the same 12 axes as the test, with every indicator and source.

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Policy profile

The 12 axes, indicator by indicator

This profile describes the country's policy regime (laws, institutions and public spending) from published indices, not the views of its people or its current leaders. Data as of October 2026; each value shows its own year.

Ownership-0.80PublicPrivate4 indicators and sources
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): State dominates strategic sectors and much of large enterprise (2026). Oil (PDVSA) and many expropriated firms are state run. Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Property Rights (0-100): 0 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Investment Freedom (0-100): 0 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Financial Freedom (0-100): 10 (2026). Source
Markets-0.85PlannedFree5 indicators and sources
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Business Freedom (0-100): 31.1 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Labor Freedom (0-100): 35.5 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Monetary Freedom (0-100): 0 (2026). Source
  • Regulatory Quality, estimate (-2.5 to 2.5): -1.99 (2025). Source
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): State dominates strategic sectors and much of large enterprise (2026). Oil (PDVSA) and many expropriated firms are state run. Source
Welfare+0.65SharedSelf-reliant3 indicators and sources
  • General government total expenditure (% of GDP): 21.06 (2025). Source
  • Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP): 1.2 (2023). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Tax Burden (0-100): 73.4 (2026). Source
Authority+1.00DemocraticStrong leader2 indicators and sources
  • Liberal Democracy Index (0-1): 0.04 (2025). Source
  • Judicial constraints on the executive (0-1): 0.02 (2025). Source
Security+0.15LibertyOrder4 indicators and sources
  • Freedom in the World civil liberties score (0-60): 13 (2025). Source
  • World Press Freedom Index score (0-100): 30.48 (2026). Source
  • Death penalty status: Abolished for all crimes (2025). Source
  • Prison population per 100,000 people: 199 (2022). Source
Structure-0.65LocalCentral2 indicators and sources
  • Territorial form of the state: Federation (2025). Federal in name; regional autonomy is weak in practice. Source
  • Strong elected regional governments index (0-1): 0.63 (2025). Source
Morality+0.50ProgressiveTraditional3 indicators and sources
  • Same-sex marriage law (0 marriage, 1 civil union or partnership, 2 no recognition, 3 constitutional or statutory ban): Same-sex marriage banned in law (2026). Source
  • Abortion law: Prohibited, or only to save the woman's life (2025). Source
  • Women, Business and the Law: Legal Framework Index (0-100): 74.8 (2025). Source
Religion-0.75SecularReligious2 indicators and sources
  • Religion and the state: Separation: no official or funded religion (2025). Source
  • Blasphemy or religious-insult law in force: None (2025). Source
Technology+0.60EmbraceCaution2 indicators and sources
  • Nuclear power policy: No nuclear power, no legal ban (2025). Source
  • Genetically modified crop cultivation: Cultivation banned or opted out (2025). Source
Culture-0.25MulticulturalNational identity4 indicators and sources
  • International migrant stock (% of population): 4.45 (2024). Source
  • Citizenship by birth in the territory: Unconditional birthright citizenship (2025). Source
  • Residence required for ordinary naturalization (years; 0 = no ordinary route): 10 years (2025). Source
  • Dual citizenship for naturalizing adults: Allowed (2025). Source
Trade+0.90GlobalProtected4 indicators and sources
  • Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%): 12.84 (2022). Source
  • Tariff rate, applied, simple mean, all products (%): 12.74 (2022). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Trade Freedom (0-100): 43.2 (2026). Source
  • Trade (exports + imports) (% of GDP): 25.01 (2025). Source
Foreign policy-0.30CooperationStrength5 indicators and sources
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 2.23 (2017). Source
  • Military conscription: Selective, limited or newly reintroduced (2025). Source
  • Nuclear weapons status (0 none, 1 considers, 2 pursues, 3 possesses): No nuclear weapons program (2023). Source
  • Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: State party (2026). Source
  • Collective defense commitments: None, or formal neutrality outside any pact (2026). Withdrew from the Rio Treaty in 2013. Source

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Policy neighbours

Governed most like Venezuela

Every other country with a profile, tinted by how close its laws, institutions and public spending are to those of Venezuela on the same 12 axes. The percentage uses the 12 Axes match formula.

  1. 1Kenya70%
  2. 2Russia69%
  3. 3Pakistan68%
  4. 4Nigeria67%
  5. 5Mexico66%
Least similarFinland39%
World map of countries by how similar their policy regime is to VenezuelaClosest: 1. Kenya 70%, 2. Russia 69%, 3. Pakistan 68%, 4. Nigeria 67%, 5. Mexico 66%, 6. Turkey 64%, 7. India 63%, 8. Ukraine 63%, 9. Indonesia 62%, 10. Vietnam 62%. Least similar: Finland 39%. Every country is in the list after the map.Venezuela
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  • Under 55%
  • 65 to 74%
  • 85% or more
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FAQ

Venezuela: questions

How is Venezuela governed, on the 12 axes?

Venezuela is a federal state that scores 0.04 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 21% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is abolished and same-sex marriage is banned in law. Its policy regime leans furthest toward Strong leader on Authority (+1.00), Protected on Trade (+0.90) and Planned on Markets (-0.85), on a scale from -1 to +1.

Which countries are governed most like Venezuela?

On the same 12 axes, the closest policy regimes are Kenya (70%), Russia (69%) and Pakistan (68%). The furthest is Finland (39%). Matches use the same formula as the 12 Axes test.

Where does the data on Venezuela come from?

From 40 indicators dated 2017 to 2026, published by V-Dem, Freedom House, the Heritage Foundation, the IMF, the OECD, the World Bank, SIPRI, Reporters Without Borders, the World Prison Brief, UN DESA and others. Among them: a press freedom score of 30.5 out of 100 (RSF, 2026), 199 prisoners per 100,000 people (2022), military spending of 2.2% of GDP (SIPRI, 2017) and 4.4% of residents born abroad (UN DESA, 2024). Every value, year and source is listed in the profile above.

Does the profile describe what people in Venezuela think?

No. It describes the policy regime: laws, institutions and public spending. It does not measure public opinion or the speeches of the current government. To see which country is governed closest to your own views, take the 12 Axes test and open the country match on your result.

Which political figures from Venezuela are on PoliticalTests?

So far Simón Bolívar, each placed on the 12 axes of the 12 Axes Political Test from their own speeches, writings and record, with sources on the profile page. More figures are added over time.

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