Economy Overview
Possessing large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. From 2001-03 real wages fell and Brazil's economy grew, on average, only 2.2% per year, as the country absorbed a series of domestic and international economic shocks. That Brazil absorbed these shocks without financial collapse is a tribute to the resiliency of the Brazilian economy and the economic program put in place by former President CARDOSO and strengthened by President LULA DA SILVA. In 2004, Brazil enjoyed more robust growth that yielded increases in employment and real wages. The three pillars of the economic program are a floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and tight fiscal policy, all reinforced by a series of IMF programs. The currency depreciated sharply in 2001 and 2002, which contributed to a dramatic current account adjustment: in 2003 and 2004, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains - particularly in agriculture - also contributed to the surge in exports, and Brazil in 2004 surpassed the previous year's record export level and again posted a current account surplus. While economic management has been good, there remain important economic vulnerabilities. The most significant are debt-related: the government's largely domestic debt increased steadily from 1994 to 2003 - straining government finances - before falling as a percentage of GDP in 2004, while Brazil's foreign debt (a mix of private and public debt) is large in relation to Brazil's small (but growing) export base. Another challenge is maintaining economic growth over a period of time to generate employment and make the government debt burden more manageable.
Agriculture Products
coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef
Industries
textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment
Industrial Production Growth Rate
6% (2004 est.)
Labor Force
89 million (2004 est.)
Electricity production
339 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity Consumption
351.9 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity Exports
7 million kWh (2002)
Electricity Imports
36.58 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2002)
Unemployment Rate
11.5% (2004 est.)
Population Below Poverty Line
22% (1998 est.)
Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share
Lowest 10%: 0.7%
Highest 10%: 48% (1998)
Distribution of Family Income Gini Index
60.7 (1998)
Budget
Revenues: $140.6 billion
Expenditures: $172.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004)
Public Debt
52% of GDP (2004 est.)
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
$52.94 billion (2004 est.)
Debt External
$219.8 billion (2004 est.)
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
Exchange Rates
reals per US dollar - 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003), 2.9208 (2002), 2.3577 (2001), 1.8301 (2000)
