What is the average monthly salary in venezuela of a worker in Venezuela?
The average compensation for a worker in the Caracas Metropolitan Area in the commerce and services sector stood at $237 per month at the close of the first quarter of 2025, a real decrease of 1.4% compared to the same period of the previous year, according to a study by the Venezuelan Finance Observatory (OVF).
At a disaggregated level, monthly remunerations were as follows: laborers $217, professionals and technicians $340, and managers $531. The OVF did not detail the month-by-month amounts for the first three months of the year to show their evolution, but the quarterly data indicates the decline.
According to the OVF, “the salary situation is more precarious outside the capital, as shown by the average monthly income in other regions: Zulia: $230, Anzoátegui: $92, and Nueva Esparta: $195.”
The data comes from commercial establishments in the Caracas Metropolitan Area, a sector that accounts for about 65% of employment in that area, according to the OVF’s methodological note.
The Minimum Wage
In March 2022, a new minimum wage amount came into effect, increasing from Bs 7 to Bs 130 (about $23 at that time), from the second half of the month. That amount remains unchanged (as of May 2025), so the depreciation of the bolívar has reduced it to the equivalent of about $1.53. The government announced on April 30, 2025, that it was increasing a discretionary payment made by the state to its employees, called the “economic war bonus,” from $90 to $120, payable in bolívares and indexed to the official exchange rate.
Meanwhile, the food bonus (known as the socialist “cestaticket”) remains the equivalent of $40, which must be paid in bolívares indexed to the official exchange rate. In total, a public employee will receive a total income of about $161.5.
Although the minimum wage is no longer relevant for setting remunerations in the private sector, it does have an effect in the public sector, which lags furthest behind in this regard.
“Remunerations in the private sector remain higher than those received in the public sector, although they vary depending on the sector of activity and the functions performed. However, remunerations in this sector are also not sufficient, on average, to acquire the basic food basket,” noted the Institute of Economic and Social Research – Andrés Bello Catholic University (2025) in its Venezuela Situation Report in April.
On the other hand, figures released by CONINDUSTRIA, at the close of 2024, showed that in the manufacturing sector, the average remuneration for blue-collar workers was $230 per month (18% more than perceived in 2023). Professionals and technicians earned $460, and managerial staff $1,048, on average.
The Cendas-FVM Family Food Basket for March 2025 was $526.
Other Data on Income
The Survey of Living Conditions of Venezuelans (Encovi) conducted by the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB) provides other data on Venezuelan incomes. According to its most recent data, corresponding to fieldwork carried out in June and July 2024, the richest group in the country (decile 10) has an average per capita income of $633.7, while at the other extreme (the poorest) has a per capita income of $12.5. The increase in one year was 82.5% and 24.8%, respectively.
On the other hand, the study establishes a difference by occupational categories. Thus, they indicate that the average income of public employees is $110.9, private sector employees or laborers $189.5, an employer generates $344.7, a self-employed worker $202, and a person dedicated to domestic service $120.1.
The consulting firm Ecoanalítica, for its part, published data from a study conducted in the second half of 2023 and found that 85% of the country has a monthly income of up to $300 per month. This includes all types of income (remunerations, bonuses, remittances, etc.). Only 2% of the population has income exceeding $1,000, and 65% does not reach $100 per month.
