A survey conducted by the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) in Venezuelan households as of 2005 found slight deterioration of income distribution, compared with 2000.

Based on the survey, the richest 10 percent in the population gets 37.6 percent of the income, and the poorest 10 percent gets as little as 1.4 percent.

BCV used a tool called the Gini's coefficient to measure inequality of income distribution. It is defined as a ratio with values between 0 and 1. 0 corresponds to perfect income equality, that is, everyone has the same income, and 1 corresponds to perfect income inequality, that is, one person has all the income, while everyone else has zero income.

In the Venezuelan case, the ratio went from 0.44 percent in 2000 up to 0.48 percent in 2005.

BCV prepared an index on living conditions, based on a reference matrix including health, housing, education of the head of the family and income.

The index values are from 0 to 100. A value of 80-100 shows high-quality living conditions; 0-49 accounts for poor living conditions.

"Venezuela climbed from a middle mean wellbeing in 1997 (60-69) to high wellbeing levels (80-100) in 2005," said BCV.

As for the impact of government social welfare programs, the survey found that 47.4 percent of families nationwide got some benefit from any program.