How much do social benefits reduce poverty in Minas Gerais?

Without government social benefits such as Bolsa Familia and the BPC, 21.9% of people in Minas Gerais would have been below the US$6.85 poverty line in 2024 and 6.8% below the US$2.15 extreme poverty line, against 16.8% and 2.2% with them (IBGE simulation removing benefit income).

Poverty and living standards in Minas Gerais, Brazil: official figures

16.8% of people in Minas Gerais lived on household income below the World Bank poverty line of US$6.85 a day (PPP 2017) in 2024, about 3.58 million people; 8th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 23.1%).

People below the poverty line (US$6.85 PPP a day)

16.8%

2024

People in extreme poverty (US$2.15 PPP a day)

2.2%

2024

Gini index of household income per person

0.447

2024

Is poverty falling in Minas Gerais?

The poverty rate in Minas Gerais was 27.5% in 2019 and 31.6% in 2012, so the 2024 figure of 16.8% is down 10.7 percentage points on 2019 (Brazil: 32.6% in 2019, 23.1% in 2024).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

How many people live in extreme poverty in Minas Gerais?

2.2% of people in Minas Gerais were in extreme poverty in 2024, living on less than US$2.15 a day (PPP 2017), about R$218 a month per person; 10th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 3.5%).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

How many people in Minas Gerais live on less than a quarter of the minimum wage?

4.9% of people in Minas Gerais lived in households with income of up to a quarter of the minimum wage per person (R$353 a month) in 2024, and a further 13.2% on between a quarter and half (R$704); the first share is 10th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 7.9%).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

How unequal is income in Minas Gerais?

The Gini index of household income per person in Minas Gerais was 0.447 in 2024 (0 means everyone has the same income, 1 that one person has all of it), 4th least unequal of the 26 states and the Federal District; Brazil's was 0.504. In 2019 Minas Gerais' index was 0.487.

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

How much income do the richest 10% get in Minas Gerais?

The richest 10% of people in Minas Gerais received 35.3% of all household income in 2024 and the poorest 40% received 14.7%, a Palma ratio of 2.41 (Brazil: 3.31).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

More figures

Counting only income from work, pensions and other non-benefit sources, the Gini index in Minas Gerais would have been 0.481 in 2024 instead of 0.447 (Brazil: 0.542 instead of 0.504). Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

How Minas Gerais compares with other states

People below the US$6.85 a day poverty line (%) (2024)

Minas Gerais ranks 20 of 27, highest first. Household income per person below US$6.85 a day at 2017 purchasing power parity; PNAD Continua.

Rank	Region	People below the US$6.85 a day poverty line (%)
17	Espirito Santo	18.6%
18	Rio de Janeiro	17.9%
19	Mato Grosso do Sul	17.5%
20	Minas Gerais	16.8%
21	Goias	15.9%
22	Distrito Federal	15.3%
23	Sao Paulo	14.0%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

People in extreme poverty, below US$2.15 a day (%) (2024)

Minas Gerais ranks 18 of 27, highest first.

Rank	Region	People in extreme poverty, below US$2.15 a day (%)
15	Tocantins	3.8%
16	Rio de Janeiro	3.1%
17	Sao Paulo	2.2%
18	Minas Gerais	2.2%
19	Parana	1.8%
20	Espirito Santo	1.7%
21	Distrito Federal	1.7%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

Poverty rate without government social benefits (%) (2024)

Minas Gerais ranks 20 of 27, highest first. IBGE simulation removing income from social programmes such as Bolsa Familia and BPC.

Rank	Region	Poverty rate without government social benefits (%)
17	Espirito Santo	23.5%
18	Mato Grosso do Sul	23.2%
19	Rio de Janeiro	22.5%
20	Minas Gerais	21.9%
21	Goias	20.7%
22	Distrito Federal	19.6%
23	Parana	17.4%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

Gini index of household income per person (2024)

Minas Gerais ranks 24 of 27, highest first. 0 = complete equality, 1 = complete inequality.

Rank	Region	Gini index of household income per person
21	Goias	0.462
22	Rio Grande do Sul	0.458
23	Mato Grosso do Sul	0.454
24	Minas Gerais	0.447
25	Mato Grosso	0.442
26	Rondonia	0.442
27	Santa Catarina	0.430

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

People living on up to 1/4 minimum wage per person (%) (2024)

Minas Gerais ranks 18 of 27, highest first.

Rank	Region	People living on up to 1/4 minimum wage per person (%)
15	Tocantins	8.6%
16	Rio de Janeiro	6.3%
17	Espirito Santo	5.2%
18	Minas Gerais	4.9%
19	Rondonia	4.8%
20	Distrito Federal	4.7%
21	Goias	4.3%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

More on Minas Gerais: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · Brazil

Sources

Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE): Sintese de Indicadores Sociais 2025, chapter 2 tables (income distribution and poverty): Tables 2.1, 2.11, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.18, 2.20, 2.22, 2.23 (PNAD Continua 2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e2084f0fca81…)

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