Brazil

Brazil: steady but modest growth, 1980–2025

Hyperinflation through the 1980s was tamed by the 1994 Plano Real, enabling a commodity-fueled boom in the 2000s, followed by a severe 2014-2016 recession and uneven recovery. Between 1980 and 2025, Brazil's GDP per capita grew from $1,959 to $10,713 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 3.8% — steady but modest growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 2.4% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 3.2 points, reflecting relatively stable macroeconomic conditions. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 0.0% to 6.1% of GDP (a notable increase), while services rose from 44.0% to 59.7% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 61.8 to 76.0 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 43.8% to 69.7%, while the urban population share grew from 67.4% to 88.2%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions rose from 1.71 to 2.32 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) narrowed from 57.9 to 50.3; the poverty headcount ratio fell from 30.7% to 3.0%.