During a 2023 survey, around 35 percent of respondents interviewed in Brazil said they belonged to the middle class. Meanwhile, 24.3 percent of the interviewees defined their social class as "low" and 25.7 percent stated that they were part of the middle class.Furthermore, Brazil's Gini coefficient, an indicator that measures wealth distribution, shows Brazil is one of the most unequal countries in the Latin American region.

The poorest 5 percent of the population in Brazil received a monthly income of merely 239 reals in 2023, with their jobs as their only source of income. By contrast, the average income of workers who fall within the 40 percent to 50 percent percentile, and from 50 percent to 60 percent are 1,639 and 1,970 Brazilian reals, respectively.

The Brazilian Dairy & Soy Food market is increasingly important due to its high growth rate and growing middle class. Globally, Brazil is the fourth largest Dairy market, behind India, the US, and China. During 2010–2015, the market registered a volume CAGR of 4.3%, while it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% from 2015 to 2020. Although Brazil has high volume consumption of Dairy & Soy Food products, the CAGR during 2015–2020 is forecast to diminish when compared to 2010–2015. This can be attributed to rising inflation levels, political instability, weakened demand for branded food products, and increasing unemployment. Read More

In 2023, the top ten percent in Brazil earned an average of 7,580 Brazilian reals per month before income taxes. This is more than 12 times the average income of the bottom half, which was 629 reals per month in that year.

Surge in the number of millionaires and the emerging middle class will continue to make Brazil a major retail destination Brazilian retail sales to reach BRL2,111 billion by 2019 Food and grocery is expected to remain the largest in sales value terms during the forecast period, growing at a CAGR of 8% Consumers with improved income levels tend to move towards modern grocery retail formats, such as supermarkets, to procure branded food and grocery products The food and grocery category is yet to make a mark in the online space. Packaged food leads as the largest product sold and Drinks is expected to be the most promising market during the forecast period, with a CAGR of 10.3% Read More

In Brazil, from the total national wealth share in 2021, nearly 80 percent belonged to the top ten percent. Almost half of Brazil's wealth was held by top one percent. On the other hand, the bottom 50 percent had a total of -0.4 percent, that is, on average, this group had more debts than assets. That year, the average personal wealth of the bottom 50 percent was valued at -300 euros.

In 2019, the B2 and C1 middle classes in Brazil combined accounted for over half of the total apparel consumption in the country. Meanwhile, the lowest socioeconomic group in the South American country (D/E) registered, with 16.9 percent, a higher share of fashion consumption than the Brazilian upper class (A). The socioeconomic group B1, which corresponds to the the upper middle class in the South American country, accounted for only six percent of the total consumption of clothing, accessories and similar products that year.

Costa Rica is the country with the highest minimum monthly wage in Latin America. According to the minimum salary established by law as of January 2024, workers in the Central American country enjoy a basic monthly wage of over 687 U.S. dollars, an increase of 1.83 percent compared to the previous year and over 100 U.S. dollars more than the second place, Uruguay. On the other side of the spectrum is Venezuela, where employees are only guaranteed by law a minimum salary of 130 bolívares or little more than three dollars per month. Can Latin Americans survive on a minimum wage? Even if most countries in Latin America have instated laws to guarantee citizens a basic income, these minimum standards are often not enough to meet household needs. For instance, it was estimated that almost 25 million people in Mexico lacked basic housing services. Salary levels also vary greatly among Latin American economies. In 2020, the average net monthly salary in Mexico was barely higher than Chile's minimum wage in 2021. What can a minimum wage afford in Latin America? Latin American real wages have generally risen in the past decade. However, consumers in this region still struggle to afford non-basic goods, such as tech products. Recent estimates reveal that, in order to buy an iPhone, Brazilian residents would have to work at least two months to be able to pay for it. A gaming console, on the other hand, could easily cost a Latin American worker several minimum wages.