Venezuela’s recent economic history (Update)
Planet Money
- Published
- January 4, 2026
- Duration
- 22:25
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Jun 7, 2026
Discusses We’ve been checking in on the economic conditions in Venezuela for about a decade now. In response t…
Summary
We’ve been checking in on the economic conditions in Venezuela for about a decade now. In response to the U.S. strike and the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro this weekend, we’re re-surfacing this episode with an update.The original version ran in 2016, with an update in 2024.Back in 2016, things were pretty bad in Venezuela. Grocery stores …
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Show notes
We’ve been checking in on the economic conditions in Venezuela for about a decade now. In response to the U.S. strike and the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro this weekend, we’re re-surfacing this episode with an update.The original version ran in 2016, with an update in 2024.Back in 2016, things were pretty bad in Venezuela. Grocery stores didn’t have enough food. Hospitals didn’t have basic supplies, like gauze. Child mortality was spiking. Businesses were shuttering. It was one