UN: Quake damage equals 6% of Venezuela’s GDP.

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Quake damage cost equivalent to 6% of Venezuela’s GDP – UN

Quake damage cost equivalent to 6% of Venezuela’s GDP – UN

Volunteers gather amid the rubble of collapsed buildings in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on June 27, 2026, after the twin earthquakes. The death toll reached 1,430 on that day, and millions more are feared to lack basic sanitation and other necessities as the first U.S. aid flights arrive in Caracas. (Photo by Mauricio VALENZUELA / AFP)

The United Nations released a Saturday estimate that the twin earthquakes caused $6.7 billion in physical damage, which equals six percent of Venezuela’s gross domestic product.

The preliminary assessment draws on seismic modeling, satellite imagery and population data. It covers losses to assets such as housing but does not account for broader economic disruption from the Wednesday disaster, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a statement.

UNDP noted that the back‑to‑back quakes struck major population and economic centers along Venezuela’s northern coast, including the capital Caracas and the states of La Guaira, Carabobo, Miranda, Yaracuy and Aragua.

“Direct physical damage is estimated at $6.7 billion (range of $4.7 billion to $8.7 billion), driven by losses to housing and economic assets,” the statement read.

“This does not include infrastructure damage, wider economic disruption and longer‑term reconstruction costs,” it added, adding that the total economic impact could be between 1.5 and three times the cost of direct damage.

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