Brazil’s Struggle to Sustain Improved Quality of Life for Its Citizens

(Analysis) Brazil marks 30 years since the Real Plan, celebrating progress in life expectancy, education, and income.

Yet, its global Human Development Index (HDI) ranking has dropped, revealing underlying issues.

In 1993, Brazil ranked 73rd on the United Nations HDI. By 2022, it fell to 89th.

The HDI measures quality of life based on life expectancy, education, and income, with scores from 0 to 1. Higher scores indicate better quality of life.

Over three decades, life expectancy increased from 67.1 to 73.4 years. Per capita income rose from $10,180 to $14,616.

Education years for those aged 25 and older more than doubled, from 4.1 to 8.3 years.

Brazil’s HDI score improved from 0.633 in 1993 to 0.76 in 2022, marking high human development.

It now stands behind Azerbaijan and ahead of Colombia. The UN categorizes countries into four HDI levels: low, medium, high, and very high.

Globally, the average HDI rose from 0.61 in 1993 to 0.739 in 2022.

The US led the 1993 rankings with 0.882 but fell to 20th in 2022 with 0.927. Switzerland, fifth in 1993, now leads with 0.967.

The UN added 50 countries to its HDI measurements, from 142 in 1993 to 192 in 2022. This expansion partly explains Brazil’s relative decline.

However, the drop isn’t solely due to new countries. Brazil remains closer to the global average than to the top, despite a narrowing gap.

In 1993, the US HDI was 39% higher than Brazil’s. By 2022, Switzerland’s HDI was 27% higher.

Brazil’s HDI was 4% above the global average in the early 1990s but only 3% higher now.

Brazil’s Hidden Struggle: HDI Ranking Slips Despite Progress

Today, Brazil’s HDI mirrors Argentina’s in 1993. Argentina now ranks 48th with an HDI of 0.849. Brazil lags behind South Korea’s 1993 position, which ranked 30th with 0.761.

Brazil ranks 51st in expected years of schooling, but 122nd in average education years for those aged 25 and older. It ranks 89th in both life expectancy and GDP per capita.

Regionally, Brazil shows stark inequalities. Brasília and São Paulo have very high HDI levels, similar to Uruguay and Costa Rica.

In contrast, eight states have medium HDI levels. Maranhão ranks lowest, comparable to Tajikistan, which is 126th globally.

These disparities matter. They highlight the need for targeted policies to enhance education, health, and income equality.

Understanding Brazil’s HDI decline amidst progress emphasizes the complexity of development and the importance of sustained efforts for improvement.

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