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Brazil
Federative Republic of Brazil
LOCATION
- Background
- After more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889. Brazilian coffee exporters politically dominated the country until populist leader Getúlio VARGAS rose to power in 1930. VARGAS governed through various versions of democratic and authoritarian regimes from 1930 to 1945. Democratic rule returned in 1945 -- including a democratically elected VARGAS administration from 1951 to 1954 -- and lasted until 1964, when the military overthrew President João GOULART. The military regime censored journalists and repressed and tortured dissidents in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The dictatorship lasted until 1985, when the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers, and the Brazilian Congress passed its current constitution in 1988. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Having successfully weathered a period of global financial difficulty in the late 20th century, Brazil was soon seen as one of the world's strongest emerging markets and a contributor to global growth under President Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (2003-2010). The awarding of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games -- the first ever to be held in South America -- to Brazil was symbolic of the country's rise. However, from about 2013 to 2016, Brazil was plagued by a sagging economy, high unemployment, and high inflation, only emerging from recession in 2017. Congress removed then-President Dilma ROUSSEFF (2011-2016) from office in 2016 for having committed impeachable acts against Brazil's budgetary laws, and her vice president, Michel TEMER, served the remainder of her second term. A money-laundering investigation, Operation Lava Jato, uncovered a vast corruption scheme and prosecutors charged several high-profile Brazilian politicians with crimes. Former President LULA was convicted of accepting bribes and served jail time (2018-19), although his conviction was overturned in 2021. LULA's revival became complete in 2022 when he narrowly defeated incumbent Jair BOLSONARO (2019-2022) in the presidential election. Positioning Brazil as an independent global leader on climate change and promoting sustainable development, LULA took on the 2024 G20 presidency, balancing the fight against deforestation with sustainable energy and other projects designed to alleviate poverty and promote economic growth, such as expanding fossil fuel exploration.
- Location
- Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
- Geographic coordinates
- 10 00 S, 55 00 W
- Map references
- South America
- Area
- total: 8,515,770 sq km
land: 8,358,140 sq km
water: 157,630 sq km - Area - comparative
- slightly smaller than the US
- Land boundaries
- total: 16,145 km
border countries: Argentina 1,263 km; Bolivia 3,403 km; Colombia 1,790 km; French Guiana 649 km; Guyana 1,308 km; Paraguay 1,371 km; Peru 2,659 km; Suriname 515 km; Uruguay 1,050 km; Venezuela 2,137 km - Coastline
- 7,491 km
- Maritime claims
- territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin - Climate
- mostly tropical, but temperate in south
- Terrain
- mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
- Elevation
- highest point: Pico da Neblina 2,994 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 320 m - Natural resources
- alumina, bauxite, beryllium, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, niobium, phosphates, platinum, tantalum, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
- Land use
- agricultural land: 28.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 6.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 20.7% (2023 est.)
forest: 58.9% (2023 est.)
other: 12.7% (2023 est.) - Irrigated land
- 91,833 sq km (2022)
- Major lakes (area sq km)
- fresh water lake(s): Lagoa dos Patos - 10,140 sq km
salt water lake(s): Lagoa Mirim (shared with Uruguay) - 2,970 sq km - Major rivers (by length in km)
- Amazon river mouth (shared with Peru [s]) - 6,400 km; Río de la Plata/Paraná river source (shared with Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay [m]) - 4,880 km; Tocantins - 3,650 km; São Francisco - 3,180 km; Paraguay river source (shared with Argentina and Paraguay [m]) - 2,549 km; Rio Negro river mouth (shared with Colombia [s] and Venezuela) - 2,250 km; Uruguay river source (shared with Argentina and Uruguay [m]) - 1,610 kmnote: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
- Major watersheds (area sq km)
- Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 sq km), Orinoco (953,675 sq km), Paraná (2,582,704 sq km), São Francisco (617,814 sq km), Tocantins (764,213 sq km)
- Major aquifers
- Amazon Basin, Guarani Aquifer System, Maranhao Basin
- Population distribution
- the vast majority of people live along or near the Atlantic coast in the east; the population core is in the southeast, anchored by the cities of São Paolo, Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro
- Natural hazards
- recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south
- Geography - note
- note 1: largest country in South America and in the Southern Hemisphere; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador; most of the Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, extends through the west central part of the country; shares Iguaçu Falls (Iguazú Falls), the world's largest waterfalls system, with Argentinanote 2: Rocas Atoll, located off the northeast coast of Brazil, is the only atoll in the South Atlantic
- Population
- total: 221,359,387 (2025 est.)
male: 108,753,532
female: 112,605,855 - Nationality
- noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian - Ethnic groups
- mixed 45.3%, White 43.5%, Black 10.2%, Indigenous 0.6%, Asian 0.4% (2022 est.)
- Languages
- Languages: Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools), German, Italian, Japanese, English, and many minor Amerindian languages
major-language sample(s): O Livro de Fatos Mundiais, a fonte indispensável para informação básica. (Brazilian Portuguese)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. - Religions
- Roman Catholic 56.8%, Evangelical 26.9%, none 9.3%, other 4%, Spirtism (Espírita) 1.8%, unspecified 1.4%, Umbanda and Candomblé 1.1%, Indigenous religions .06%, undeclared 0.2% (2022)
- Age structure
- 0-14 years: 19.6% (male 22,025,593/female 21,088,398)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 75,889,089/female 77,118,722)
65 years and over: 10.9% (2024 est.) (male 10,251,809/female 13,677,901) - Dependency ratios
- total dependency ratio: 44.3 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 28.1 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 16.2 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 6.2 (2025 est.) - Median age
- total: 35.4 years (2025 est.)
male: 34 years
female: 36.1 years - Population growth rate
- 0.58% (2025 est.)
- Birth rate
- 13.04 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 7.07 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Net migration rate
- -0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- the vast majority of people live along or near the Atlantic coast in the east; the population core is in the southeast, anchored by the cities of São Paolo, Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro
- Urbanization
- urban population: 87.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) - Major urban areas - population
- 22.620 million São Paulo, 13.728 million Rio de Janeiro, 6.248 million Belo Horizonte, 4.873 million BRASÍLIA (capital), 4.264 million Recife, 4.212 million Porto Alegre (2023)
- Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.) - Maternal mortality ratio
- 67 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
- Infant mortality rate
- total: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 14.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births - Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 76.3 years (2024 est.)
male: 72.6 years
female: 80.1 years - Total fertility rate
- 1.73 children born/woman (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 0.84 (2025 est.)
- Drinking water source
- improved: urban: urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 98% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.) - Health expenditure
- Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 9.9% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 9% of national budget (2022 est.) - Physician density
- 2.36 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
- Hospital bed density
- 2.5 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
- Sanitation facility access
- improved: urban: urban: 94.7% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 65% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 91% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 5.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 35% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 9% of population (2022 est.) - Obesity - adult prevalence rate
- 22.1% (2016)
- Alcohol consumption per capita
- total: 6.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 3.84 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) - Tobacco use
- total: 11.2% (2025 est.)
male: 14.4% (2025 est.)
female: 8.3% (2025 est.) - Children under the age of 5 years underweight
- 3.5% (2019 est.)
- Currently married women (ages 15-49)
- 56.9% (2019 est.)
- Education expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP): 5.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 12.9% national budget (2022 est.) - Literacy
- total population: 94.8% (2024 est.)
male: 94.5% (2024 est.)
female: 95.1% (2024 est.) - School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
- total: 16 years (2022 est.)
male: 15 years (2022 est.)
female: 17 years (2022 est.)
- Environmental issues
- deforestation in Amazon Basin; illegal wildlife trade; illegal poaching; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and other large cities; land degradation and water pollution from mining; wetland degradation; oil spills
- International environmental agreements
- party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping-London Protocol - Climate
- mostly tropical, but temperate in south
- Land use
- agricultural land: 28.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 6.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 20.7% (2023 est.)
forest: 58.9% (2023 est.)
other: 12.7% (2023 est.) - Urbanization
- urban population: 87.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) - Carbon dioxide emissions
- total emissions: 437.769 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 53.664 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 331.079 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 53.026 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) - Particulate matter emissions
- 10.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- Methane emissions
- energy: 1,759.1 kt (2022-2024 est.)
agriculture: 13,761.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)
waste: 3,361.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)
other: 382.6 kt (2019-2021 est.) - Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually: 79.07 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 2.8% (2022 est.) - Total water withdrawal
- municipal: 16.397 billion cubic meters (2022)
industrial: 10.2 billion cubic meters (2022)
agricultural: 41.336 billion cubic meters (2022) - Total renewable water resources
- 8.647 trillion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Geoparks
- total global geoparks and regional networks: 6
global geoparks and regional networks: Araripe; Cacapava; Quarta Colonia; Serido; Southern Canyons Pathways; Uberaba (2024)
- Country name
- conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: República Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
etymology: the country name derives from the brazil tree that used to grow plentifully along the coast of Brazil and that was used to produce a deep red dye - Government type
- federal presidential republic
- Capital
- name: Brasília
geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W
time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
time zone note: Brazil has four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands
etymology: the name is the Latinized form of the country name, bestowed on the new capital of Brazil in 1960; previous Brazilian capitals were Salvador (1549-1763) and Rio de Janeiro (1763 to 1960) - Administrative divisions
- 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
- Legal system
- civil law
- Constitution
- history: several previous; latest ratified 5 October 1988
amendment process: proposed by at least one third of either house of the National Congress, by the president of the republic, or by simple majority vote by more than half of the state legislative assemblies; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote by both houses in each of two readings; constitutional provisions affecting the federal form of government, separation of powers, suffrage, or individual rights and guarantees cannot be amended - International law organization participation
- has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
- Citizenship
- citizenship by birth: yes
citizenship by descent only: yes
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years - Suffrage
- voluntary between 16 to 18 years of age, over 70, and if illiterate; compulsory between 18 to 70 years of age
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (since 1 January 2023)
head of government: President Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (since 1 January 2023)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
election/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 4-year term (eligible for a single consecutive term and additional terms after at least one term has elapsed)
most recent election date: 2 October 2022, with runoff on 30 October 2022
election results: 2022: Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (PT) 48.4%, Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 43.2%, Simone Nassar TEBET (MDB) 4.2%, Ciro GOMES (PDT) 3%, other 1.2%; percent of vote in second round - Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (PT) 50.9%, Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 49.1%2018: Jair BOLSONARO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 46%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 29.3%, Ciro GOMEZ (PDT) 12.5%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 4.8%, other 7.4%; percent of vote in second round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 55.1%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 44.9%
expected date of next election: 4 October 2026 - Legislative branch
- legislature name: National Congress (Congresso nacional)
legislative structure: bicameral - Legislative branch - lower chamber
- chamber name: Chamber of Deputies (Cámara dos Deputados)
number of seats: 513 (all directly elected)
electoral system: proportional representation
scope of elections: full renewal
term in office: 4 years
most recent election date: 10/2/2022
parties elected and seats per party: Liberal Party (PL) (99); Workers' Party (PT) (69); Brazil Union (União) (59); Progressive Party (PP) (47); Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) (42); Social Democratic Party (PSD) (42); Republicans (Republicanos) (40); Other (106)
percentage of women in chamber: 18.1%
expected date of next election: October 2026 - Legislative branch - upper chamber
- chamber name: Federal Senate (Senado Federal)
number of seats: 81 (all directly elected)
electoral system: plurality/majority
scope of elections: partial renewal
term in office: 8 years
most recent election date: 10/2/2022
parties elected and seats per party: Liberal Party (PL) (8); Brazil Union (União) (5); Workers' Party (PT) (4); Progressive Party (PP) (3); Social Democratic Party (PSD) (2); Republicans (Republicanos) (2); Other (3)
percentage of women in chamber: 19.8%
expected date of next election: October 2026 - Judicial branch
- highest court(s): Supreme Federal Court or Supremo Tribunal Federal (consists of 11 justices)
judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president and approved by absolute majority by the Federal Senate; justices appointed to serve until mandatory retirement at age 75
subordinate courts: Tribunal of the Union, Federal Appeals Court, Superior Court of Justice, Superior Electoral Court, regional federal courts; state court system - Political parties
- Act (Agir) (formerly Christian Labor Party or PTC)Avante (formerly Labor Party of Brazil or PTdoB)Brazil Union (União Brasil); note - founded from a merger between the Democrats (DEM) and the Social Liberal Party (PSL) Brazilian Communist Party or PCBBrazilian Democratic Movement or MDBBrazilian Labor Party or PTBBrazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTBBrazilian Labor Party or PTBBrazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDBBrazilian Socialist Party or PSBChristian Democracy or DC (formerly Christian Social Democratic Party)Cidadania (formerly Popular Socialist Party or PPS)Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoBDemocratic Labor Party or PDTDemocratic Party or PSDCDemocrats or DEM (formerly Liberal Front Party or PFL); note - dissolved in February 2022Green Party or PVLiberal Party or PL [Valdemar Costa Neto] (formerly Party of the Republic or PR)National Mobilization Party or PMNNew Party or NOVOPatriota (formerly National Ecologic Party or PEN)Podemos (formerly National Labor Party or PTN) Progressive Party (Progressistas) or PPRepublican Social Order Party or PROSRepublicans (Republicanos) (formerly Brazilian Republican Party or PRB)Social Christian Party or PSCSocial Democratic Party or PSDSocial Liberal Party or PSLSocialism and Freedom Party or PSOLSolidarity or SDSustainability Network or REDEUnited Socialist Workers' Party or PSTUWorkers' Cause Party or PCOWorkers' Party or PT
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro VIOTTI (since 30 June 2023)
chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700
FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827
email address and website: contact.washington@itamaraty.gov.br https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/embaixada-washington
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hartford (CT), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco - Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Gabriel ESCOBAR (since 21 January 2025)
embassy: SES - Avenida das Nações, Quadra 801, Lote 03, 70403-900 - Brasília, DF
mailing address: 7500 Brasilia Place, Washington DC 20521-7500
telephone: [55] (61) 3312-7000
FAX: [55] (61) 3225-9136
email address and website: BrasilliaACS@state.govhttps://br.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s) general: Recife, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo
branch office(s): Belo Horizonte - International organization participation
- AfDB (nonregional member), BIS, BRICS, CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, CPLP, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, LAS (observer), Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OECD (enhanced engagement), OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, PROSUR, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- Independence
- 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
- National holiday
- Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
- Flag
- description: green with a large yellow diamond in the center, showing a blue celestial globe with 27 five-pointed white stars; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)meaning: green stands for the country's forests, and yellow for its mineral wealth, with the diamond representing the country's shape; the blue globe and stars depict the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15 November 1889, the day the Republic of Brazil was declared; the number of stars has risen with the creation of new states, from 21 to 27 (one for each state and the Federal District)history: the flag was inspired by the former Empire of Brazil's flag (1822-1889)
- National symbol(s)
- Southern Cross constellation
- National color(s)
- green, yellow, blue
- National anthem(s)
- title: "Hino Nacional Brasileiro" (Brazilian National Anthem)
lyrics/music: Joaquim Osorio Duque ESTRADA/Francisco Manoel DA SILVA
history: music adopted 1890, lyrics adopted 1922; the anthem's music, composed in 1822, was used unofficially for many years - National heritage
- total World Heritage Sites: 24 (15 cultural, 9 natural, 1 mixed)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Brasilia (c); Historic Salvador de Bahia (c); Historic Ouro Preto (c); Historic Center of the Town of Olinda (c); Iguaçu National Park (n); Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis (c); Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes (c); Central Amazon Conservation Complex (n); Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves (n); Historic Center of Salvador de Bahia (c); Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas (c ); Brasilia (c ); Serra da Capivara National Park (c ); Historic Center of Sao Luis( c); Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves (n); Historic Center of the Town of Diamantina (c ); Pantanal Conservation Area (n); Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves (n); Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks (n); Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás (c); São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão (c ); Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea (c ); Pampulha Modern Ensemble (c ); Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site (c ); Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity (m); Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (c ); Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (n);Peruaçu River Canyon (n)
- Economic overview
- upper-middle-income, largest Latin American economy; Mercosur, BRICS, G20 member and OECD accession candidate; growth driven by strong domestic consumption; monetary tightening helping curb inflation rate; high inequality in income and access to health and education
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $4.165 trillion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $4.029 trillion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $3.902 trillion (2022 est.) - Real GDP growth rate
- Real GDP growth rate 2024: 3.4% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 3.2% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 3% (2022 est.) - Real GDP per capita
- Real GDP per capita 2024: $19,600 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $19,100 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $18,600 (2022 est.) - GDP (official exchange rate)
- $2.179 trillion (2024 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 4.4% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 4.6% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 9.3% (2022 est.) - GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture: 5.6% (2024 est.)
industry: 21.3% (2024 est.)
services: 59.3% (2024 est.) - GDP - composition, by end use
- household consumption: 63.8% (2024 est.)
government consumption: 18.8% (2024 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 17% (2024 est.)
investment in inventories: -0.1% (2024 est.)
exports of goods and services: 18% (2024 est.)
imports of goods and services: -17.5% (2024 est.) - Agricultural products
- sugarcane, soybeans, maize, milk, cassava, oranges, chicken, beef, rice, wheat (2023)
- Industries
- textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment
- Industrial production growth rate
- 3.3% (2024 est.)
- Labor force
- 106.79 million (2024 est.)
- Unemployment rate
- Unemployment rate 2024: 7.7% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 8% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 9.3% (2022 est.) - Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
- total: 18% (2024 est.)
male: 15.7% (2024 est.)
female: 20.9% (2024 est.) - Population below poverty line
- 4.2% (2016 est.)
- Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
- Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2023: 51.6 (2023 est.)
- Average household expenditures
- on food: 16.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 1.7% of household expenditures (2023 est.) - Household income or consumption by percentage share
- lowest 10%: 1.3% (2023 est.)
highest 10%: 40.8% (2023 est.) - Remittances
- Remittances 2024: 0.2% of GDP (2024 est.)
Remittances 2023: 0.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0.3% of GDP (2022 est.) - Budget
- revenues: $556.303 billion (2023 est.)
expenditures: $706.816 billion (2023 est.) - Public debt
- Public debt 2023: 83% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Taxes and other revenues
- 14% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
- Current account balance
- Current account balance 2024: -$61.194 billion (2024 est.)
Current account balance 2023: -$27.933 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$42.157 billion (2022 est.) - Exports
- Exports 2024: $388.333 billion (2024 est.)
Exports 2023: $389.192 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $380.492 billion (2022 est.) - Exports - partners
- China 30%, USA 10%, Argentina 5%, Netherlands 3%, Chile 2% (2023)
- Exports - commodities
- soybeans, crude petroleum, iron ore, raw sugar, corn (2023)
- Imports
- Imports 2024: $377.05 billion (2024 est.)
Imports 2023: $340.195 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $369.861 billion (2022 est.) - Imports - partners
- China 23%, USA 16%, Germany 5%, Argentina 5%, Russia 4% (2023)
- Imports - commodities
- refined petroleum, fertilizers, crude petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, gas turbines (2023)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024: $329.732 billion (2024 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $355.021 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $324.673 billion (2022 est.) - Debt - external
- Debt - external 2023: $198.582 billion (2023 est.)
- Exchange rates
- Currency: reals (BRL) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 5.389 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 4.994 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 5.164 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 5.394 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 5.155 (2020 est.)
- Electricity access
- electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 100%
electrification - rural areas: 97.3% - Electricity
- installed generating capacity: 240.251 million kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 608.451 billion kWh (2023 est.)
exports: 7.186 billion kWh (2023 est.)
imports: 22.294 billion kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 106.916 billion kWh (2023 est.) - Electricity generation sources
- fossil fuels: 8.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
nuclear: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 6.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
wind: 13.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
hydroelectricity: 60.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
biomass and waste: 8.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) - Nuclear energy
- Number of operational nuclear reactors: 2 (2025)
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 1 (2025)
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 1.88GW (2025 est.)
Percent of total electricity production: 2.2% (2023 est.) - Coal
- production: 15.556 million metric tons (2023 est.)
consumption: 32.223 million metric tons (2023 est.)
exports: 5,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 18.257 million metric tons (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 6.596 billion metric tons (2023 est.) - Petroleum
- total petroleum production: 4.221 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 3.163 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 12.715 billion barrels (2021 est.) - Natural gas
- production: 22.702 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
consumption: 29.065 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
exports: 101.203 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
imports: 6.356 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 363.985 billion cubic meters (2021 est.) - Energy consumption per capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 48.889 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
- Telephones - fixed lines
- total subscriptions: 22.5 million (2024 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2024 est.) - Telephones - mobile cellular
- total subscriptions: 216 million (2024 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 102 (2024 est.) - Broadcast media
- state-run Radiobras operates a radio and a TV network; more than 1,000 radio stations and more than 100 TV channels operating, mostly privately owned; private media ownership highly concentrated (2022)
- Internet country code
- .br
- Internet users
- percent of population: 84% (2023 est.)
- Broadband - fixed subscriptions
- total: 48.4 million (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23 (2023 est.)
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- PP
- Airports
- 5,297 (2025)
- Heliports
- 1,871 (2025)
- Railways
- total: 29,849.9 km (2014)
standard gauge: 194 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 23,341.6 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge (24 km electrified)
broad gauge: 5,822.3 km (2014) 1.600-m gauge (498.3 km electrified)
dual gauge: 492 km (2014) 1.600-1.000-m gauge - Merchant marine
- total: 888 (2023)
by type: bulk carrier 13, container ship 20, general cargo 38, oil tanker 27, other 790 - Ports
- total ports: 45 (2024)
large: 4
medium: 7
small: 19
very small: 15
ports with oil terminals: 31
key ports: Belem, DTSE/Gegua Oil Terminal, Itajai, Port de Salvador, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Santos, Tubarao, Vitoria
- Military and security forces
- Brazilian Armed Forces (Forças Armadas Brasileiras): Brazilian Army (Exercito Brasileiro, EB), Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil; includes Naval Aviation (Aviacao Naval Brasileira) and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira) (2025)
- Military expenditures
- Military Expenditures 2024: 1.1% of GDP (2024 est.)
Military Expenditures 2023: 1.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022: 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021: 1.3% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 1.4% of GDP (2020 est.) - Military and security service personnel strengths
- approximately 360,000 active Armed Forces (220,000 Army; 70,000 Navy; 70,000 Air Force) (2025)
- Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the Brazilian military's inventory consists of a mix of domestically produced and imported weapons, largely from Europe and the US; Brazil's defense industry designs and manufactures equipment for all three military services and for export; it also jointly produces equipment with other countries (2025)
- Military service age and obligation
- 18-45 years of age for compulsory military service for men (only 5-10% of those inducted are required to serve); compulsory service obligation is generally 12 months; 17-45 (18 for women) years of age for voluntary service (2025)
- Military - note
- the Brazilian Armed Forces (BAF) are the second largest military in the Western Hemisphere behind the US; they are responsible for external security and protecting the country's sovereignty but also have an internal security role; the BAF’s missions include patrolling and protecting the country’s long borders and coastline and extensive territorial waters and river network, assisting with internal security, providing domestic disaster response and humanitarian assistance, and participating in multinational peacekeeping missions; it also cooperates with neighboring countries such as Argentina and Paraguay to combat cross-border smuggling and trafficking Brazil has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperationthe origins of Brazil's military stretch back to the 1640s; Brazil provided a 25,000-man expeditionary force with air and ground units to fight with the Allies in the Mediterranean Theater during World War II; the Navy participated in the Battle of the Atlantic (2025)
- Space agency/agencies
- Brazilian Space Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira, AEB; established in 1994 when Brazil’s space program was transferred from the military to civilian control); National Institute for Space Research (INPE, under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations); Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA, under the Aeronautics Command (COMAER) of the Ministry of Defense) (2025)
- Space launch site(s)
- Alcantara Launch Center (Maranhão state); Barreira do Inferno Launch Center (Rio Grande do Norte state) (2025)
- Space program overview
- develops, builds, operates, and tracks satellites, including communications, remote sensing (RS), multi-mission, navigational, and scientific/testing/research; satellites are launched by foreign partners, but Brazil has a long-standing sounding (research) rocket and satellite launch vehicle (SLV) program and rocket launch facilities; cooperates with a variety of foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of Argentina, Canada, the ESA, individual ESA member states (particularly France and Germany), India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine, and the US; has a state-controlled communications company that operates Brazil’s communications satellites and a growing commercial space sector (2025)
- Key space-program milestones
- 1960s - established a national space program under the Air Force1984 - began satellite launch vehicle (SLV) program (Veículo Lançador de Satélites or VLS-1) 1985 - first communications satellite jointly produced with Canada and launched on European SLV1993 - first domestically built experimental communications satellite (Satélite de Coleta de Dados, SCD-1) launched by US2004 - launched a sounding rocket into sub-orbital space, but the subsequent catastrophic failure of a VLS-1 during a test launch led to scaling back the program2006 - first Brazilian astronaut to the International Space Station on a Russian rocket2008 - began work on a 3-stage microsatellite launch vehicle (Veículo Lançador de Microssatélite or VLM-1) in partnership with Germany2021 - first independently produced remote sensing (RS) satellite (Amazonia-1) launched by India; signed US-led Artemis Accords on space exploration cooperation and signed cooperation agreements with the space agencies of China, India, Russia, and South Africa for the joint development of an RS satellite constellation2022 - successfully launched suborbital rocket more than 225 km (140 miles) in height
- Terrorist group(s)
- Hizballah; Tren de Aragua (TdA)
- Refugees and internally displaced persons
- refugees: 331,097 (2024 est.)
IDPs: 19,043 (2024 est.)
stateless persons: 27 (2024 est.) - Trafficking in persons
- tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Brazil did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period and was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/brazil/
- Illicit drugs
- USG identification: major precursor-chemical producer (2025)