Economy of Brazil
The economy of Brazil is historically the largest in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere in nominal terms. The Brazilian economy is the second largest in the Americas. It is an upper-middle income developing mixed economy. In 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brazil has the 8th largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world and has the 8th largest purchasing power parity in the world. In 2024, Brazil was the 7th largest country in the world by number of billionaires. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brazilian nominal GDP was US$2.331 trillion, the country has a long history of being among the largest economies in the world and the GDP per capita was US$11,178 per inhabitant.
São Paulo, the financial capital of Brazil | |
| Currency | Brazilian real (BRL, R$) |
|---|---|
| 1 January – 31 December | |
Trade organizations | WTO, BRICS, MERCOSUR, G20 and others |
Country group |
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| Statistics | |
| Population | 203 million (2023) |
| GDP |
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| GDP rank |
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GDP growth |
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GDP per capita |
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GDP per capita rank |
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GDP by sector |
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| 4.68% (2023) | |
Population below poverty line |
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| 52.9 high (2021) | |
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| 36 (2023) (104th) | |
Labor force |
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Labor force by occupation |
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| Unemployment |
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Average gross salary | R$3,012 (US$558.81) monthly (October 2023) |
Main industries | |
| External | |
| Exports | $339.7 billion (2023) |
Export goods | Aircraft, armaments, steel, machinery, transport equipment, automobiles, vehicle parts, soybeans, iron ore, pulp (cellulose), maize, beef, chicken meat, soybean meal, sugar, coffee, tobacco, cotton, orange juice, footwear, gold, ethanol, semi-finished iron |
Main export partners | |
| Imports | $240.8 billion (2023) |
Import goods | Machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, electronics |
Main import partners | |
FDI stock | $91.5 billion (2022) |
| −$5,890.7 billion (2021) | |
Gross external debt | $576.4 billion (2022) |
| Public finances | |
Government debt | 73.4% of GDP (September 2023) |
| 0.4% (of GDP) (2021) | |
| Revenues | $382.6 billion (2022) |
| Expenses | $319.4 billion (2022) |
Credit rating |
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| $355 billion (2023) | |
The country is rich in natural resources. From 2000 to 2012, Brazil was one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world, with an average annual GDP growth rate of over 5%. Its GDP surpassed that of the United Kingdom in 2012, temporarily making Brazil the world's sixth-largest economy. However, Brazil's economic growth decelerated in 2013 and the country entered a recession in 2014. The economy started to recover in 2017, with a 1% growth in the first quarter, followed by a 0.3% growth in second quarter compared to the same period of the previous year. It officially exited the recession.
According to the World Economic Forum, Brazil was the top country in upward evolution of competitiveness in 2009, gaining eight positions among other countries, overcoming Russia for the first time, and partially closing the competitiveness gap with India and China among the BRICS economies. Important steps taken since the 1990s toward fiscal sustainability, as well as measures taken to liberalize and open the economy, have significantly boosted the country's competitiveness fundamentals, providing a better environment for private-sector development.
Brazil is a member of diverse economic organizations, such as Mercosur, Prosur, G8+5, G20, WTO, Paris Club, Cairns Group, and is advanced to be a permanent member of the OECD.
From a colony focused on primary sector goods (sugar, gold and cotton), Brazil managed to create a diversified industrial base during the 20th century. The steel industry is a prime example of that, with Brazil being the 9th largest steel producer in 2018, and the 5th largest steel net exporter in 2018. Gerdau is the largest producer of long steel in the Americas, and Vale is the largest producer of iron ore in the world. Petrobras, the Brazilian oil and gas company, is the most valuable company in Latin America.