The Daily Journal.— Venezuela is on track to lead economic activity in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2026, with projected growth of 6.5%, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which unveiled the forecast in its latest annual report.
The projected performance of the Venezuelan economy stands out across the region, surpassing other countries with strong growth forecasts, including Nicaragua (4.5%), Panama (4.4%), Paraguay (4.3%), Guatemala (4.0%) and the Dominican Republic (4.0%).
In its Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2026, the United Nations agency highlighted significant differences across the region’s productive landscape: “Some economies would maintain relatively dynamic growth, while others would continue to face low growth.”
Contrast with the regional slowdown
Venezuela’s projected expansion contrasts with the slowdown in the region’s overall growth rate. ECLAC lowered its regional growth forecast by one-tenth of a percentage point to 2.2% for this year.
Economies in the middle of the regional ranking include El Salvador (3.9%), Costa Rica (3.7%), Argentina (3.3%), Colombia (2.6%) and Brazil (2.2%), while Chile (1.6%), Uruguay (1.5%) and Mexico (1.3%) show slower growth rates. Cuba (-10.3%) and Haiti (-1.9%) are the only countries where ECLAC expects economic contractions.
ECLAC warned that several factors have weighed on the region’s average growth rate over the past five years, which stands at around 2.3%, including “slower growth in the global economy, high geopolitical and financial uncertainty, and greater pressure on international energy markets.”
The organization’s Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, stressed that the region faces the challenge of turning this performance into structural improvements: “To overcome the trap of low growth capacity, we need to increase investment and productivity while advancing toward productive formalization that strengthens the capabilities of people and businesses, expands social protection and creates more high-quality formal jobs.”
With information from EFE
