In 10 Years, Number of Favelas Doubles in Brazil

The country had 20 million people without enough food in December, and inflation will worsen the scenario

São Paulo

According to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the total number of favelas in Brazil has more than doubled in the last decade, jumping from 6,329 to 13,151, according to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

With higher unemployment and falling incomes, homes with an irregular urban pattern and without basic sanitation were 5.1 million in 2019, the most recent data.

The number is another reflection of the increase in poverty in the country, where almost 20 million (9%) declared that they had spent 24 hours or more without having eaten in a few days; 24.5 million (11%) have worsened their diet, not sure how they would eat that day, and another 74 million (35%) feared going through it.

The information comes from a survey by the Brazilian Research Network on Sovereignty and Food and Nutritional Security that was completed in December and conducted by researchers who validated the Brazilian Scale of Food Security used by IBGE.

Since then, inflation has advanced, and the picture has possibly worsened.

In September, the IPCA diffusion index for food, which shows the percentage of items with increases, was 64%, which leads many to replace what they consume with ultra-processed products.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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