Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Brazil
Brazil: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 21.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Brazil, 1981–2024
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Brazil stood at 21.2%.
The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Brazil peaked at 26.5% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 18.2%, in 2020.
Brazil ranks 5th of 123 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 24.6% | — |
| 1982 | 25.0% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 24.4% | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 24.1% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 24.5% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 24.4% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 25.8% | +5.7% |
| 1988 | 26.5% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 26.4% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 25.9% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 25.4% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 25.2% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 24.2% | -4.0% |
| 1996 | 26.5% | +9.5% |
| 1997 | 26.5% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 25.0% | -5.7% |
| 1999 | 25.2% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 25.9% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 25.3% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 25.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 24.5% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 24.3% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 23.6% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 24.2% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 23.5% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 23.4% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 22.7% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 22.5% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 22.3% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 23.1% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 23.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 23.6% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 24.0% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 18.2% | -24.2% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | +22.0% |
| 2022 | 22.0% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 21.9% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 21.2% | -3.2% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 21.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 1.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 21.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18.0%, 1.2× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.1% | 24.1% | 26.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 25.5% | 24.2% | 26.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 24.4% | 23.4% | 25.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 23.0% | 22.3% | 24.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 21.1% | 18.2% | 22.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More poverty & inequality data for Brazil
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,003 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -6.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 32.73 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 32.7% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Brazil?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Brazil was 21.2% in 2024, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 1988.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.2% in 2020.
- How does Brazil rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Brazil ranks 5th out of 123 countries with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.