Why a bolivar today is worth much less than a bolivar in 1981
Updated: September 11, 2026Bs. 100 in 1981 is equivalent in purchasing power to about Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 today, an increase of Bs. 12,060,363,073,502.72 over 40 years. Cumulative inflation since 1981 is 12,060,363,073,502.72%: the bolivar had an average inflation rate of 89.25% per year between 1981 and today.
This means that today's prices are 120,603,630,736.03 times as high as average prices in 1981, according to the International Monetary Fund consumer price index. A bolivar today only buys NaN% of what it could buy back then.
The inflation rate in 1981 was 16.20%. The current inflation rate compared to the end of last year is now 2,700.00%. If this number holds, Bs. 100 today will be equivalent in buying power to Bs. 2,800.00 next year.
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| Cumulative price change | 12,060,363,073,502.72% |
| Average inflation rate | 89.25% |
|
Converted amount
Bs. 100 base | Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 |
|
Price difference
Bs. 100 base | Bs. 12,060,363,073,502.72 |
| CPI in 1981 | 141.067 |
| CPI in 2021 | 17,013,168,256,313.000 |
| Inflation in 1981 | 16.20% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 2,700.00% |
| Bs. 100 in 1981 | Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 in 2021 |
Buying power of Bs. 100 in 1981
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for Bs. 100 in 1981 (price index tracking began in 1979).
For example, if you started with Bs. 100, you would need to end with Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When Bs. 100 is equivalent to Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single Venezuelan bolivar decreases over time. In other words, a bolivar will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a bolivar over time. By calculating the value in 1981 dollars, the chart below shows how Bs. 100 is worth less over 40 years.
According to the International Monetary Fund, each of these VEF amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
This conversion table shows various other 1981 amounts in today's bolivars, based on the 12,060,363,073,502.72% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| Bs. 1 bolivar in 1981 | Bs. 120,603,630,736.03 bolivars today |
| Bs. 5 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 603,018,153,680.14 bolivars today |
| Bs. 10 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 1,206,036,307,360.27 bolivars today |
| Bs. 50 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 6,030,181,536,801.36 bolivars today |
| Bs. 100 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 bolivars today |
| Bs. 500 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 60,301,815,368,013.59 bolivars today |
| Bs. 1,000 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 120,603,630,736,027.20 bolivars today |
| Bs. 5,000 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 603,018,153,680,136.00 bolivars today |
| Bs. 10,000 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 1,206,036,307,360,272.00 bolivars today |
| Bs. 50,000 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 6,030,181,536,801,359.00 bolivars today |
| Bs. 100,000 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 12,060,363,073,602,718.00 bolivars today |
| Bs. 500,000 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 60,301,815,368,013,592.00 bolivars today |
| Bs. 1,000,000 bolivars in 1981 | Bs. 120,603,630,736,027,184.00 bolivars today |
How to calculate inflation rate for Bs. 100 since 1981
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1981 and today:
CPI todayCPI in 1981
×
1981 VEF value
=
Today's value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The Venezuelan CPI was 141.0668 in the year 1981 and 17013168256313 in 2021:
17013168256313141.0668
×
Bs. 100
=
Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72
Bs. 100 in 1981 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 in 2021.
To get the total inflation rate for the 40 years between 1981 and 2021, we use the following formula:
CPI in 2021 - CPI in 1981CPI in 1981
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (40 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
17013168256313 - 141.0668141.0668
×
100
=
12,060,363,073,503%
Frequently asked questions
How much is Bs. 100 from 1981 worth today?
Bs. 100 in 1981 has about the same buying power as Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 today, based on the consumer price index published by the International Monetary Fund. Prices today are 120,603,630,736.03 times as high as they were in 1981.
What was the inflation rate in 1981?
The Venezuelan inflation rate in 1981 was 16.20%, measured as the change in the consumer price index from 1980 to 1981. See inflation in 1981 for more detail.
What has the average inflation rate been since 1981?
Prices rose by an average of 89.25% per year between 1981 and today, a cumulative increase of 12,060,363,073,502.72%. Because inflation compounds, these yearly changes add up over 40 years.
How is this calculated?
Divide the CPI in 2021 (17,013,168,256,313) by the CPI in 1981 (141.067), then multiply by the original amount: 17,013,168,256,313 ÷ 141.067 × Bs. 100 = Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72. See the step-by-step formula above.
Data source & citation
Raw data for these calculations comes from the government of Venezuela's annual (CPI) as provided by the International Monetary Fund.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “Value of 1981 Venezuelan Bolivars today | Venezuela Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 9 Oct. 2026, https://www.officialdata.org/venezuela/inflation/1981.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
| Cumulative price change | 12,060,363,073,502.72% |
| Average inflation rate | 89.25% |
|
Converted amount
Bs. 100 base | Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 |
|
Price difference
Bs. 100 base | Bs. 12,060,363,073,502.72 |
| CPI in 1981 | 141.067 |
| CPI in 2021 | 17,013,168,256,313.000 |
| Inflation in 1981 | 16.20% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 2,700.00% |
| Bs. 100 in 1981 | Bs. 12,060,363,073,602.72 in 2021 |