How much do social benefits reduce poverty in Rio de Janeiro?

Without government social benefits such as Bolsa Familia and the BPC, 22.5% of people in Rio de Janeiro would have been below the US$6.85 poverty line in 2024 and 7.3% below the US$2.15 extreme poverty line, against 17.9% and 3.1% with them (IBGE simulation removing benefit income).

Poverty and living standards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: official figures

17.9% of people in Rio de Janeiro lived on household income below the World Bank poverty line of US$6.85 a day (PPP 2017) in 2024, about 3.09 million people; 10th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 23.1%).

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

17.9%

2024

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

3.1%

2024

Gini index of household income per person

0.522

2024

Is poverty falling in Rio de Janeiro?

The poverty rate in Rio de Janeiro was 25.8% in 2019 and 26.8% in 2012, so the 2024 figure of 17.9% is down 7.9 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 Rio de Janeiro?

3.1% of people in Rio de Janeiro were in extreme poverty in 2024, living on less than US$2.15 a day (PPP 2017), about R$218 a month per person; 12th 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 Rio de Janeiro live on less than a quarter of the minimum wage?

6.3% of people in Rio de Janeiro 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 13.4% on between a quarter and half (R$704); the first share is 12th 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 Rio de Janeiro?

The Gini index of household income per person in Rio de Janeiro was 0.522 in 2024 (0 means everyone has the same income, 1 that one person has all of it), 4th most unequal of the 26 states and the Federal District; Brazil's was 0.504. In 2019 Rio de Janeiro's index was 0.553.

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

How much income do the richest 10% get in Rio de Janeiro?

The richest 10% of people in Rio de Janeiro received 41.0% of all household income in 2024 and the poorest 40% received 11.3%, a Palma ratio of 3.62 (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 Rio de Janeiro would have been 0.549 in 2024 instead of 0.522 (Brazil: 0.542 instead of 0.504). Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copy

How Rio de Janeiro compares with other states

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

Rio de Janeiro ranks 18 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 (%)
15	Tocantins	23.9%
16	Rondonia	20.5%
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%

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

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

Rio de Janeiro ranks 16 of 27, highest first.

Rank	Region	People in extreme poverty, below US$2.15 a day (%)
13	Piaui	4.0%
14	Amapa	3.9%
15	Tocantins	3.8%
16	Rio de Janeiro	3.1%
17	Sao Paulo	2.2%
18	Minas Gerais	2.2%
19	Parana	1.8%

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

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

Rio de Janeiro ranks 19 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 (%)
16	Rondonia	26.4%
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%

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

Gini index of household income per person (2024)

Rio de Janeiro ranks 4 of 27, highest first. 0 = complete equality, 1 = complete inequality.

Rank	Region	Gini index of household income per person
1	Distrito Federal	0.547
2	Pernambuco	0.530
3	Roraima	0.530
4	Rio de Janeiro	0.522
5	Rio Grande do Norte	0.522
6	Alagoas	0.516
7	Amapa	0.509

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

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

Rio de Janeiro ranks 16 of 27, highest first.

Rank	Region	People living on up to 1/4 minimum wage per person (%)
13	Rio Grande do Norte	12.5%
14	Amapa	10.2%
15	Tocantins	8.6%
16	Rio de Janeiro	6.3%
17	Espirito Santo	5.2%
18	Minas Gerais	4.9%
19	Rondonia	4.8%

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

More on Rio de Janeiro: 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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