Poverty is decreasing in Brazil: How can we scale this progress?

Have you ever imagined living on less than $4.50 a day? In Brazil, 23.1% of the population lives in poverty, and this reality is even harsher for the 3.5% of Brazilians living on less than $1.50 a day. These figures, which highlight persistent social and economic inequality, come from the latest Social Indicators Synthesis published by the IBGE (the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

While these numbers are sobering, the trend is moving in the right direction. Between 2023 and 2024, the proportion of Brazilians living in poverty dropped by 4.1 percentage points, while the extreme poverty rate fell by 0.9 points. Though these percentages may seem modest, the totals represent a massive leap forward: 8.6 million people have climbed out of poverty, and nearly 2 million have escaped extreme poverty. In total, over 10.5 million Brazilians have seen a significant improvement in their quality of life.

The role of social safety nets in reducing extreme poverty 

Since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when 36.8% of the country faced poverty, rates have fallen consistently every year. This progress underscores the vital role of social programs and labor protections. The results highlight the vital role of social programs and labor protection laws in reducing poverty. However, they also expose the persistence of these conditions among historically vulnerable groups, including Black and Mixed-race (Pardo) populations, women, and the elderly.

How doebem bridges the gap in social inequality

From a civil society perspective, these results highlight exactly where we can - and must - intervene. Since 2022, doebem has conducted rigorous research to address poverty as a foundation and identify solutions for its most urgent symptoms: food and water insecurity, and non-communicable diseases. Our findings show that low-cost, high-impact initiatives are often the most effective to change the lives of entire families. By preventing avoidable illnesses, we don't just improve health; we enable children to stay in school and adults to engage in the workforce, strengthening the entire community's socioeconomic fabric.

Leveraging Local Knowledge to Fight Regional Disparity

The IBGE report also highlights Brazil's well-known regional disparities. Brazil’s North and Northeast regions rely more heavily on social benefits and face higher risks of unemployment, water and food insecurity. These findings reinforce the importance of developing effective, community-led initiatives. By leveraging local knowledge and social technology, these projects look beyond social inequality to foster resilience.

Maximizing your impact: doebem’s strategy

By partnering with highly effective organizations across various Brazilian regions, doebem ensures your contribution generates the greatest possible impact per dollar. We identify and support local initiatives that are not only replicable and scalable but also fill the critical gaps left by historical systemic failures.

Brazil has taken historic steps toward ending poverty, but the journey is far from over. At doebem, we believe in the proven expertise of our partner organizations to erase the scars of social and economic inequality, ensuring that more people have access to a dignified and full life.