The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela covers 916 445 km2; to the north is the Caribbean Sea, to the south-east the Amazonian region and the plains of Brazil and Colombia, and to the west the Andes and the Colombian Guajira peninsula. Its estimated population (2004) is 25 226 million, which is concentrated along the north coastal area, where the population density exceeds 200 inhabitants per km2; most of the territory remains almost uninhabited (fewer than 6 inhabitants per km2), in particular the border areas. The population is mainly urban: 70% live in cities with more than 50 000 inhabitants.

The annual mean rate of population growth is 2%, approximately, but this is reducing in line with a progressive reduction in the birth rate (from 27.4 per 1000 inhabitants in 1994 to 22.3 per 1000 in 1998), fertility (3.17 children per 1000 women in 1994 to 2.93 in 1998) and an increase in emigration. The population is predominantly young: 54.4% are under 25 years of age, while the 25- to 64-year age group represents 41.3% of the population. Life expectancy is presently estimated at 72.8 years.

The budget assigned to health amounts to 3.9% of gross domestic product, or US$6402 per capita.

Constitutionally, Venezuela is a free and independent republic. It is also a federal state, consisting of 25 states and a capital district; Caracas is the capital city. According to the constitution, the states are autonomous and have political integrity. They are called on, however, to maintain the integrity of the nation and to obey and abide by national law.

Health system

Civil rights and the state's duties to its citizens set out in the constitution provide the framework for the health system. The state must guarantee opportunities for education and development in an environment of freedom, and must preserve the dignity of its inhabitants, for example. The constitution requires that a technical committee organises the administration of healthcare in Venezuela.