With the cut of the Covid Emergency relief payments, the spike in inflation, and the insufficient restart of the job market, the number of people in poverty went up to 19.8 million in Brazilian major cities in 2021. It is the highest level in a historical series of ten years, starting in 2012, as pointed out by the 9th Bulletin of Inequality in the Metropolis.
The study analyzes statistics from the country's 22 major metropolitan areas. Upon reaching 19.8 million, the number of poor people came to represent 23.7% –almost a quarter– of the total population of these regions. The percentage is also, by far, the highest in the historical series. Until then, the percentage had never reached 20%.
The group in poverty increased by 3.8 million people compared to 2020, when it was about 16 million. The fast increase is equivalent to practically double the total population estimated for a city like Curitiba –almost 2 million inhabitants.
Translated by Cassy Dias