Venezuela
> Total sanctions: 651
> Sanction announced since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: 0
> GDP, current USD, 2014: $482.4 billion
> Exports % of GDP, 2014: 16.7%
> Imports % of GDP, 2014: 31.4%
> Democracy index: 2.1 out of 10, #151 of 167 countries
> Population, 2021: 28,704,947
The number of sanctions against Venezuela escalated after Nicolás Maduro won a second presidential term in a contested election in 2018. The election was considered fraudulent by Venezuelan opposition leaders, the United States, and independent observers. Amnesty International considers this South American country of 29 million people to be in an economic crisis under a policy of repression by the Maduro government. The U.S., Canada, and the European Union have sanctions against Venezuela.
Myanmar
> Total sanctions: 769
> Sanction announced since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: 311
> GDP, current USD, 2021: $65.1 billion
> Exports % of GDP, 2021: 28.3%
> Imports % of GDP, 2021: 24.8%
> Democracy index: 1.0 out of 10, #166 of 167 countries
> Population, 2021: 54,806,014
The February 2021 Myanmar coup d’état led to a raft of sanctions against the military junta and its web of enterprises. But this Southeast Asian country of 55 million people has been a sanctions target over its human rights record dating back to the 1990s, when Australia imposed an arms embargo, trade restrictions, travel bans, and asset freezes of individuals and entities. European Union sanctions date back to 2008. The United States has imposed sanctions against Myanmar since 2003.
Belarus
> Total sanctions: 1,172
> Sanction announced since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: 384
> GDP, current USD, 2021: $68.2 billion
> Exports % of GDP, 2021: 72.1%
> Imports % of GDP, 2021: 66.6%
> Democracy index: 2.4 out of 10, #146 of 167 countries
> Population, 2021: 9,340,314
Belarus has been supporting Russia’s aggressions against Ukraine, leading to an escalation of sanctions against this county of 9 million people whose capital of Minsk is 440 miles from Moscow. Since Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Western allies, including Japan, have imposed hundreds of sanctions targeting Belarussian entities and individuals.
North Korea
> Total sanctions: 2,106
> Sanction announced since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: 54
> GDP, current USD: N/A
> Exports % of GDP: N/A
> Imports % of GDP: N/A
> Democracy index: 1.1 out of 10, #165 of 167 countries
> Population, 2021: 25,887,045
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the Hermit Kingdom since the Korean War, imposing broad bans against trade and investment, targeting entities and individuals, for a series of offenses, including its nuclear program, human rights abuses, cybercrimes, and money laundering. The U.N. Security Council has its own series of resolutions against North Korea for its ongoing nuclear weapons program.
Syria
> Total sanctions: 2,644
> Sanction announced since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: 46
> GDP, current USD, 2018: $21.4 billion
> Exports % of GDP, 2019: 12.7%
> Imports % of GDP, 2018: 35.7%
> Democracy index: 1.4 out of 10, #162 (tied) of 167 countries
> Population, 2021: 18,275,704
Though the U.S. has imposed sanctions on Syria since the 1970s, the most recent series of sanctions came in two waves: in the 2000s against the country’s support for Lebanon’s Shia Islamist political organization and militant group Hezbollah, and in 2011, after the start of Syria’s civil war. The European Union joined the U.S. in imposing sanctions in 2011, and the EU has its own smaller set of sanctions targeting Islamic State group activities in the country. The U.K. has had autonomous sanctions since its secession from the EU in 2020.
