For the past decade, booming oil prices have spurred economic expansion, with only a short break following the financial crisis of 2008. Yet stumbling oil-export performance and a sharp rise in infrastructure-related imports, combined with an explosive growth in public spending, have fueled consistently high levels of inflation, with the annual rate now at more than 20%.
尽管委内瑞拉的非石油部门也在成长，但石油仍然提供着大部分美元收入。过去十年中，石油价格的上涨刺激了经济扩张，只在2008年金融危机后出现了短暂的停歇。但石油出口表现的回落、基础设施相关进口激增以及公共支出的爆炸式增长导致委内瑞拉通胀居高不下，当前年通胀率高达20%以上。