Venezuelan People - Demography

Demography

The population of approximately 28 million people (in 2006) made Venezuela the sixth-most populous country in Latin America (after Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru).

More than ninety percent of the Venezuelans live in urban areas – a figure significantly higher than the world average. The literacy rate (98 percent) in Venezuela is also well above the world average, and the rate of population growth slightly exceeds the world average. A large proportion of Venezuelans are young, largely because of recent decreases in the infant mortality rate. While 30 percent of the people are 14 years of age or younger, just 4 percent are aged 65 or older.