Paraná leads Brazil in urban services and quality of life, while northern regions struggle

A study conducted by Bright Cities, a platform that assesses urban services provided by municipalities, has identified Paraná as the Brazilian state with the best indicators for urban services and quality of life.

São Paulo claims the second spot, followed closely by Santa Catarina, Minas Gerais, the Federal District, and Tocantins.

In contrast, the cities of Acre and Amapá lag behind in providing services that reflect positively on their citizens’ quality of life.

The research evaluated cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, based on 2021 data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

It audited 40 key and supporting indicators and ranked the top five cities in each region of Brazil.

According to Bright Cities CEO Raquel Cardamone, the study aims to diagnose and suggest solutions that can enhance public management efficiency and decision-making accuracy, gradually transforming cities of any size or nationality into smart cities.

A ranking of states was also created based on the average scores of the three largest cities in each state.

Paraná topped this list. Meanwhile, the state of São Paulo houses cities with the highest indicators in Brazil, occupying the first seven positions in the ranking.

In the overall ranking, Northern Brazil requires the most improvement.

Its 31 cities with populations over 100,000 achieved an average score of 4.74, while Paraná scored 6.48 on average.

Amapá was the state with the worst indicators, considering only its two cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants: Macapá and Santana.

Cities with higher GDP per capita tend to perform better in indicators.

Yet, Cardamone noted this isn’t a universal rule as some high GDP per capita cities rank lower and vice versa.

Capital cities generally tend to perform above their state’s average, and mid-sized cities often combine qualities of small and large cities, such as high quality of life and robust services and infrastructures.

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