Venezuela's state-controlled economy began to decline in 2014 with falling oil prices and has been corroded by mismanagement and corruption. By the time the U.S. first imposed broad economic sanctions in 2017, Venezuela already had the highest inflation in the world and was experiencing chronic shortages of basic goods. More than five million Venezuelans have fled the country's dire living conditions, according to the International Organization for Migration. People's lives have been severely affected. In particular, the lives of low- and middle-income people, who are not rich, are more hopeless and in despair. A CGTN correspondent visited a family living near the capital Caracas and took a look at how the U.S. sanctions have affected one family.