Even with aid, a quarter of Brazilians lived in poverty in 2020, says IBGE

Even with the emergency benefits paid throughout 2020, one in four Brazilians lived in poverty, characterized by an individual income of less than R$450 per month.

This was the reality of 50 million Brazilians, a number greater than the entire population of São Paulo (44 million), the most populous state in the country. The numbers were released this Friday (3), in the Synthesis of Social Indicators, released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

The consultation also showed that, in the same period, another 12 million people lived in extreme poverty, with an income of less than R$ 155. In the absence of a Brazilian methodology for carrying out these classifications, the IBGE used the parameters of the World Bank, established in dollars and converted to real. Together, the groups total 62 million (29% of the national population).

Without the benefit, the situation would be even more serious. According to the institute, the population in extreme poverty would be more than double the current one: it would go from 12 million (5.7%) to 27 million (12.9%).

In a situation of poverty, the number would go from 50 million (24.1%) to 67 million (32.1%). These would be the highest levels in the historical series. In sum, the country would go from 62 million people in poverty or extreme poverty to 94 million.

IBGE analyst Bárbara Cobo explains that the behavior of the tracks showed important regional variations. “Considering the poverty line, for example, the North and Northeast had decreases compared to 2019, while the South, Southeast and Midwest showed stability. The behavior of Brazil was greatly influenced by what happened in the North and Northeast regions”, he says.

Responsible for measuring social inequality, the Gini Index varies from zero to one. The closer to zero, the greater the equality, the closer to one, the more intense the inequality. In 2020, the indicator was 0.524, which shows a reduction of 3.7% compared to the previous year, which means a reduction in inequality.

However, according to the IBGE, without social programs, inequality would increase by 2.3% in 2020, compared to 2019, and the index would close the year at 0.560.

In the Northeast of the country, the increase would be even greater: 4.5%, from 0.598 in 2019 to 0.625 last year. However, with the programs, the region showed a drop of 6.1% in the indicator, stabilized at 0.526.