Figure II.4 shows clearly that most of the countries of the region are not just below the diagonal (with inequality indices low er in 2011 than in 2002), they are well below' it. The Gini coefficient fell by at least 1% per year in 9 of 17 countries. The countries with the most significant decreases were Argentina, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicaragua and the Plurinational State of Bolivia, all of which saw their Gini coefficient fall by more than 2% a year. Even though the inequality indicators for the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica did not improve, they did not go up appreciably, either (see figure II.4).