Populations in Venezuela continue to experience the effects of a protracted economic and political crisis—characterized by hyperinflation, loss of livelihoods, poor health outcomes, and food insecurity—that exacerbates existing humanitarian needs countrywide. An estimated 7.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Venezuela, while more than 7.7 million Venezuelans were living outside of the country as of November 2023, including 6.8 million Venezuelans who have fled to neighboring countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America, according to the Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela.
At-risk households in Venezuela continue to face acute food insecurity due to decreased purchasing power resulting from several years of high inflation. Additionally, limited livelihood opportunities and rising insecurity continue to drive Venezuelan migrants to transit northward through the Darién Gap, located in a forested region between Colombia and Panama, exposing populations on the move to additional health and protection concerns.
Since 2017, USAID has provided more than $1.6 billion in humanitarian assistance to support Venezuelans inside and outside the country with food, health, livelihood, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene, and other sector assistance.
