Between 2010 and 2023, Brazil's data on the degree of inequality in wealth distribution based on the Gini coefficient reached 52. That year, Brazil was deemed one of the most unequal country in Latin America. Prior to 2010, wealth distribution in Brazil had shown signs of improvement, with the Gini coefficient decreasing in the previous 3 reporting periods. The Gini coefficient measures the deviation of the distribution of income (or consumption) among individuals or households in a given country from a perfectly equal distribution. A value of 0 represents absolute equality, whereas 100 would be the highest possible degree of inequality.

Brazil BR: Gini Coefficient (GINI Index): World Bank Estimate data was reported at 52.000 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 52.900 % for 2021. Brazil BR: Gini Coefficient (GINI Index): World Bank Estimate data is updated yearly, averaging 56.400 % from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 63.300 % in 1989 and a record low of 48.900 % in 2020. Brazil BR: Gini Coefficient (GINI Index): World Bank Estimate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.;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 economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Brazil: Gini income inequality index: The latest value from 2022 is 52 index points, a decline from 52.9 index points in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 38.33 index points, based on data from 28 countries. Historically, the average for Brazil from 1981 to 2022 is 56.28 index points. The minimum value, 48.9 index points, was reached in 2020 while the maximum of 63.2 index points was recorded in 1989.

In 2023, the percentage of income held by the richest 20 percent of the population in Brazil stood at 56.6 percent. Between 1981 and 2023, the figure dropped by 5.7 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Brazil BR: Income Share Held by Highest 10% data was reported at 41.000 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 41.600 % for 2021. Brazil BR: Income Share Held by Highest 10% data is updated yearly, averaging 44.550 % from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 51.100 % in 1989 and a record low of 39.500 % in 2020. Brazil BR: Income Share Held by Highest 10% data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles.;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 economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Historical dataset showing Brazil income inequality - gini coefficient by year from N/A to N/A.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset presents the mean household income for each of the five quintiles in Brazil, IN, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. The dataset highlights the variation in mean household income across quintiles, offering valuable insights into income distribution and inequality.

Key observations

• Income disparities: The mean income of the lowest quintile (20% of households with the lowest income) is 14,831, while the mean income for the highest quintile (20% of households with the highest income) is 165,454. This indicates that the top earners earn 11 times compared to the lowest earners.
• *Top 5%: * The mean household income for the wealthiest population (top 5%) is 300,151, which is 181.41% higher compared to the highest quintile, and 2023.81% higher compared to the lowest quintile.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.

Income Levels:

• Lowest Quintile
• Second Quintile
• Third Quintile
• Fourth Quintile
• Highest Quintile
• Top 5 Percent

Variables / Data Columns

• Income Level: This column showcases the income levels (As mentioned above).
• Mean Household Income: Mean household income, in 2023 inflation-adjusted dollars for the specific income level.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Brazil median household income. You can refer the same here

Brazil BR: Income Share Held by Lowest 10% data was reported at 1.200 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.000 % for 2021. Brazil BR: Income Share Held by Lowest 10% data is updated yearly, averaging 0.900 % from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.600 % in 2020 and a record low of 0.600 % in 1989. Brazil BR: Income Share Held by Lowest 10% data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles.;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 economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

The statistic shows the wealth distribution in Brazil in 2015, based on share of national income. According to the source, the richest * percent of the Brazilian population concentrated ** percent of the country's national income.

Abstract Contrary to the huge development of the Brazilian economy from the post-war to the end of the seventies, the eighties signified the rupture of this cycle and the combination of a chronic inflationary process, the economic stagnation and the worsening of income inequality. These factors together have not revealed to be neutral concerning the distributive aspect. Between 1981 and 1989, the income of the 10 per cent richer increased 14,2 per cent, while the income of the 20 per cent poorer decreased 26 per cent. This work presents some international comparisons, even on the functional as well as on the personal distribution of income and concludes that this distribution becomes a fundamental aspect to the stabilization and to the economic-social development recovering.

Brazil BR: Survey Mean Consumption or Income per Capita: Total Population: Annualized Average Growth Rate data was reported at 0.990 % in 2022. Brazil BR: Survey Mean Consumption or Income per Capita: Total Population: Annualized Average Growth Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 0.990 % from Dec 2022 (Median) to 2022, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.990 % in 2022 and a record low of 0.990 % in 2022. Brazil BR: Survey Mean Consumption or Income per Capita: Total Population: Annualized Average Growth Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The growth rate in the welfare aggregate of the total population is computed as the annualized average growth rate in per capita real consumption or income of the total population in the income distribution in a country from household surveys over a roughly 5-year period. Mean per capita real consumption or income is measured at 2017 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries means are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The annualized growth rate is computed as (Mean in final year/Mean in initial year)^(1/(Final year - Initial year)) - 1. 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. The initial year refers to the nearest survey collected 5 years before the most recent survey available, only surveys collected between 3 and 7 years before the most recent survey are considered. The coverage and quality of the 2017 PPP price data for Iraq and most other North African and Middle Eastern countries were hindered by the exceptional period of instability they faced at the time of the 2017 exercise of the International Comparison Program. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform for detailed explanations.;World Bank, Global Database of Shared Prosperity (GDSP) (http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-database-of-shared-prosperity).;;The comparability of welfare aggregates (consumption or income) for the chosen years T0 and T1 is assessed for every country. If comparability across the two surveys is a major concern for a country, the selection criteria are re-applied to select the next best survey year(s). Annualized growth rates are calculated between the survey years, using a compound growth formula. The survey years defining the period for which growth rates are calculated and the type of welfare aggregate used to calculate the growth rates are noted in the footnotes.

In 2023, the average salary of men in Brazil was higher than that of women. The same was true in 2024. In addition, non-black people in the country received higher salaries.

This work studies the effects of trade liberalization and globalization over income distribution in the Brazilian regions taking into account the spatial dimension. The empirical model is based on the model developed by Venables and Limão (2002), who formalized the relationship between regional specialization and geographical location, and showed that production and trade patterns depend not only on the endowments of each region, but also the geographical location and transport costs. Panel data models for target markets were estimated using Brazilian export data. The results indicate that in the more developed regions of Brazil the behavior of relative wages seems to follow the predictions of the Stolper-Samuelson theory, while in the developing regions (North and Northeast), relative wages for unskilled labor are smaller, a result that despite being contrary to the Stolper-Samuelson effect has been predicted by the theoretical model presented.

In 2024, the national gross income per capita in Brazil amounted to around 9,950 U.S. dollars, an increase from 9,310 dollars per person in the previous year. Gross national income (GNI) is the aggregated sum of the value added by residents in an economy, plus net taxes (minus subsidies) and net receipts of primary income from abroad. Excluding countries and territories in the Caribbean, Uruguay and Chile were the Latin American countries with the highest national income per capita. Demographic elements and income There are many factors that may influence the income level, such as gender, academic attainment, location, ethnicity, etc. The gender pay gap, for example, is significant in Brazil. As of 2024, the monthly income per capita of men was 3,549 Brazilian reals, while the figure was 2,793 reals in the case of women. Additionally, monthly per capita household income varies greatly from state to state; the figures registered in Distrito Federal and São Paulo more than double the income of federative units like Acre, Alagoas or Maranhão. A high degree of inequality The Gini coefficient measures the degree of income inequality on a scale from 0 (total equality of incomes) to 100 (total inequality). Between 2010 and 2023, Brazil's degree of inequality in wealth distribution based on the Gini coefficient reached 52. That year, Brazil was deemed one of the most unequal countries in Latin America. Although the latest result represented one of the worst values in recent years, the Gini index is projected to improve slightly in the near future.

Brazil is one of the most unequal countries in terms of income in Latin America. In 2022, it was estimated that almost 57 percent of the income generated in Brazil was held by the richest 20 percent of its population. Among the Latin American countries with available data included in this graph, Colombia came in first, as the wealthiest 20 percent of the Colombian population held over 59 percent of the country's total income.

This paper aims to systematize the explanations for income inequality decreases observed in Brazil between 2001 and 2015, analyzing each region and subperiod separately and focusing on social programs. The results indicate that social program incomes, as well as pension incomes, have gained prominence as income sources relative to labor income. Social program incomes contributed 19% to income inequality decreases, especially in the North and Northeast, between 2001-2004 and 2008-2012. However, this contribution declined in the Northeast and increased in the Southeast at the beginning of the great recession. Labor income contributed 57% to income inequality decreases and explains why a sharper decrease was noted in the South and Center-West regions. Official pensions contributed 17% to inequality reductiomn in all Brazilian regions, more strongly between 2004 and 2012, when significant minimum wage increases occurred.

Income share held by third 20% of Brazil grew by 1.63% from 12.30 % in 2022 to 12.50 % in 2023. Since the 6.20% drop in 2021, income share held by third 20% climb by 3.31% in 2023. Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

Income share held by lowest 10% of Brazil surged by 8.33% from 1.20 % in 2022 to 1.30 % in 2023. Since the 37.50% slump in 2021, income share held by lowest 10% soared by 30.00% in 2023. Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles.

Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data was reported at 2.040 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.030 % for 2008. Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data is updated yearly, averaging 2.030 % from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2017, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.040 % in 2017 and a record low of 1.920 % in 1996. Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. This indicator shows the fraction of a country’s population experiencing out-of-pocket health impoverishing expenditures, defined as expenditures without which the household they live in would have been above the 60% median consumption but because of the expenditures is below the poverty line. Out-of-pocket health expenditure is defined as any spending incurred by a household when any member uses a health good or service to receive any type of care (preventive, curative, rehabilitative, long-term or palliative care); provided by any type of provider; for any type of disease, illness or health condition; in any type of setting (outpatient, inpatient, at home).;Global Health Observatory. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. (https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/financial-protection);Weighted average;This indicator is related to Sustainable Development Goal 3.8.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

In 2023, the percentage of people who considers that income distribution is unfair in Brazil was estimated at approximately 81 percent. Between 1997 and 2023, the figure dropped by around 12 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.