Bs. 1 in 1990 is worth Bs. 0.39 in 1988

Bs.

Value of Bs. 1 from 1990 to 1988

Bs. 1 in 1990 is equivalent in purchasing power to about Bs. 0.39 in 1988, a difference of Bs. -0.61 over 2 years. The bolivar had an average inflation rate of 61.12% per year between 1988 and 1990, producing a cumulative price increase of -61.48%.

This means that prices in 1988 are 61.48% lower than average prices in 1990, according to the International Monetary Fund consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1988 was 29.50%. The inflation rate in 1990 was 40.70%. The 1990 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 113.91% per year between 1990 and 2021.

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Inflation from 1990 to 1988
Cumulative price change -61.48%
Average inflation rate 61.12%
Converted amount
Bs. 1 base
Bs. 0.39
Price difference
Bs. 1 base
Bs. -0.61
CPI in 1990 985.422
CPI in 1988 379.605
Inflation in 1988 29.50%
Inflation in 1990 40.70%
Bs. 1 in 1990 Bs. 0.39 in 1988

Recent VEF inflation
Annual Rate, the International Monetary Fund CPI
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Buying power of Bs. 1 in 1988

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for Bs. 1 in 1988 (price index tracking began in 1979).

For example, if you started with Bs. 1, you would need to end with Bs. 0.39 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When Bs. 1 is equivalent to Bs. 0.39 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 1988 dollars, the chart below shows how Bs. 1 is worth less over 2 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:

Bolivar inflation: 1988-1990
YearBolivar ValueInflation Rate
1988Bs. 1.0029.50%
1989Bs. 1.8484.50%
1990Bs. 2.6040.70%
1991Bs. 3.4834.20%
1992Bs. 4.5831.40%
1993Bs. 6.3238.10%
1994Bs. 10.1760.80%
1995Bs. 16.2559.90%
1996Bs. 32.4999.90%
1997Bs. 48.7450.00%
1998Bs. 66.1935.80%
1999Bs. 81.8123.60%
2000Bs. 95.0616.20%
2001Bs. 106.9412.50%
2002Bs. 130.9022.40%
2003Bs. 171.6131.10%
2004Bs. 208.8421.70%
2005Bs. 242.2616.00%
2006Bs. 275.4513.70%
2007Bs. 326.9618.70%
2008Bs. 429.6231.40%
2009Bs. 541.3226.00%
2010Bs. 693.9828.20%
2011Bs. 875.1126.10%
2012Bs. 1,059.7521.10%
2013Bs. 1,520.7543.50%
2014Bs. 2,392.1357.30%
2015Bs. 5,066.54111.80%
2016Bs. 17,955.80254.40%
2017Bs. 63,725.14254.90%
2018Bs. 338,890.29431.80%
2019Bs. 65,066,936.5019,100.00%
2020Bs. 1,600,646,638.002,360.00%
2021Bs. 44,818,105,864.032,700.00%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.

This conversion table shows various other 1988 amounts in 1990 bolivars, based on the -61.48% change in prices:

Conversion: 1988 bolivars in 1990
Initial valueEquivalent value
Bs. 1 bolivar in 1988 Bs. 2.60 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 5 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 12.98 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 10 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 25.96 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 50 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 129.80 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 100 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 259.59 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 500 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 1,297.96 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 1,000 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 2,595.92 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 5,000 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 12,979.58 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 10,000 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 25,959.15 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 50,000 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 129,795.75 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 100,000 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 259,591.50 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 500,000 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 1,297,957.50 bolivars in 1990
Bs. 1,000,000 bolivars in 1988 Bs. 2,595,915.00 bolivars in 1990

How to calculate inflation rate for Bs. 1, 1988 to 1990

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1988 and 1990:

CPI in 1988CPI in 1990
×
1990 VEF value
=
1988 VEF value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Venezuelan CPI was 985.4218027 in the year 1990 and 379.6048032 in 1988:

379.6048032985.4218027
×
Bs. 1
=
Bs. 0.39

Bs. 1 in 1990 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as Bs. 0.39 in 1988.

To get the total inflation rate for the 2 years between 1988 and 1990, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1988 - CPI in 1990CPI in 1990
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (2 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

379.6048032 - 985.4218027985.4218027
×
100
=
-61%

Frequently asked questions

How much is Bs. 1 from 1990 worth in 1988?

Bs. 1 in 1990 has about the same buying power as Bs. 0.39 in 1988, based on the consumer price index published by the International Monetary Fund. Prices in 1988 are 61.48% lower than they were in 1990.

What was the inflation rate in 1988?

The Venezuelan inflation rate in 1988 was 29.50%, measured as the change in the consumer price index from 1987 to 1988. See inflation in 1988 for more detail.

What has the average inflation rate been from 1988 to 1990?

Prices rose by an average of 61.12% per year between 1988 and 1990, a cumulative increase of 159.59%. Because inflation compounds, these yearly changes add up over 2 years.

How is this calculated?

Divide the CPI in 1988 (379.605) by the CPI in 1990 (985.422), then multiply by the original amount: 379.605 ÷ 985.422 × Bs. 1 = Bs. 0.39. 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: “Bs. 1 in 1990 → 1988 | Venezuela Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 9 Oct. 2026, https://www.officialdata.org/venezuela/inflation/1990?amount=1&endYear=1988.

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.


Ian Webster

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

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Inflation from 1990 to 1988
Cumulative price change -61.48%
Average inflation rate 61.12%
Converted amount
Bs. 1 base
Bs. 0.39
Price difference
Bs. 1 base
Bs. -0.61
CPI in 1990 985.422
CPI in 1988 379.605
Inflation in 1988 29.50%
Inflation in 1990 40.70%
Bs. 1 in 1990 Bs. 0.39 in 1988