Registries provide important real-world information regarding the risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and the thromboprophylaxis prescribing patterns among patients who may not be represented in randomized clinical trials. Understanding these components may help improve the future management of patients at risk of VTE. In this review, we highlight the differences between patients enrolled in clinical trials and real-world clinical practice and we examine the use of data from VTE registries to determine real-world patient characteristics and prophylaxis practices. Additionally, we discuss the risk factors or comorbidities of VTE in patients, the prevalence of VTE across different patient subgroups, and the VTE prophylaxis patterns in various subgroups, as reported in registries. We propose that data from both registries and randomized clinical trials should be used together when determining the most appropriate management strategy for individual patients.