Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Brazil
Brazil: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 21.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Brazil, 1981–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Brazil recorded 21.2% for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in 2024.
That represents a change of down 3.3% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Brazil peaked at 26.5% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 18.2%, in 2020.
That places Brazil 5th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 24.6% | — |
| 1982 | 25.0% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 24.4% | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 24.1% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 24.5% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 24.4% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 25.8% | +5.7% |
| 1988 | 26.5% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 26.4% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 25.9% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 25.4% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 25.2% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 24.2% | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 26.5% | +9.5% |
| 1997 | 26.5% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 25.0% | -5.5% |
| 1999 | 25.2% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 25.9% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 25.3% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 25.3% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 24.5% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 24.3% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 23.6% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 24.2% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 23.5% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 23.4% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 22.7% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 22.5% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 22.3% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 23.1% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 23.1% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 23.6% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 24.0% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 18.2% | -24.1% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | +21.7% |
| 2022 | 22.0% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 21.9% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 21.2% | -3.3% |
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 | 24.5% | 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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Brazil?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Brazil was 21.2% in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 1997.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.2% in 2020.
- How does Brazil rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Brazil ranks 5th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. 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 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.