Economy Overview
Brazil is a member of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), a trade bloc including Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. After the Asian and Russian financial crises, Mercosur adopted a protectionist stance to guard against exposure to the volatility of foreign markets. Brazil and its Mercosur partners have pledged to open the bloc to more trade and investment, but changes require approval of all five members, which makes policy adjustments too difficult to enact.
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
-3.8% (2016 est.)
Labor Force
110.4 million (2016 est.)
Labor Force by Occupation
Agriculture: 10%
Industry: 39.8%
Services: 50.2%
Unemployment Rate
9% (2015 est.)
Population Below Poverty Line
3.7%
Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share
Lowest 10%: 1.2%
Highest 10%: 41.6% (2014 est.)
Distribution of Family Income Gini Index
55.3 (2001)
Budget
Revenues: $646.4 billion
Expenditures: $664.4 billion (2016 est.)
Public Debt
65.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
Central Bank Discount Rate
14.25% (31 December 2015)
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
Stock of Narrow Money
$85.64 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Stock of Broad Money
$585.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Stock of Domestic Credit
$1.644 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares
$1.02 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
$356.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Debt External
$543.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
$597.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
$288.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Exchange Rates
1.95 (2012 est.)
