Brazil: Santa Catarina Ends São Paulo’s 14-Year Run as Most Competitive State
BRAZIL · ECONOMY
Key Facts
- —What happened: Santa Catarina took first place in the 2026 state competitiveness ranking, a first in 15 editions.
- —What it ended: São Paulo had won all 14 previous editions of the ranking, since 2012.
- —How big: Santa Catarina scored 87.06 points, against 80.68 for runner-up São Paulo.
- —The real story: The state sits in the top five of all ten pillars, with no weak flank.
- —The catch: The ranking measures the business environment, not size; São Paulo remains the largest economy.
- —What comes next: The 2027 edition will show whether São Paulo reclaims the top or a new era holds.
For fourteen years, one question in Brazilian economics had a single answer. This week it changed: the country’s most competitive state is now Santa Catarina, not São Paulo.
A fourteen-year run ends
The Ranking de Competitividade dos Estados 2026 was released on Thursday 27 August in São Paulo. It placed Santa Catarina first among Brazil’s 26 states and the Federal District.
The southern state scored 87.06 points. São Paulo, the winner of every previous edition since 2012, scored 80.68.
The study is produced by the Center for Public Leadership (Centro de Liderança Pública, CLP) with Tendências Consultoria. This was its fifteenth edition.
The title of Brazil’s most competitive state had never left São Paulo before.
How Santa Catarina got there
The ranking scores states across ten pillars. They range from infrastructure and public security to education, fiscal soundness and innovation.
The 2026 edition crunches 100 indicators across those ten pillars, in a study the Center for Public Leadership produces with Tendências Consultoria and the Economist Intelligence Unit. The method rewards consistency across the board rather than excellence in a single field.
Santa Catarina’s traditional strong suits are social sustainability, public security and the efficiency of the public administration, pillars it has led in past editions. Its historical weak points have been fiscal soundness and human capital, which is what makes this year’s top-five presence in every pillar the decisive shift.
Santa Catarina did not win by dominating a few areas. It sits in the top five in all ten pillars.
Becoming the most competitive state required that balance. São Paulo shows peaks of excellence, but its performance is less even, newspaper Estadão noted.
The climb was steady. Santa Catarina debuted third in 2016, then spent nine straight editions as runner-up, from 2017 to 2025.
What São Paulo still has
The ranking measures the environment for business and the quality of public management. It does not measure economic size.
São Paulo remains Brazil’s largest state economy by far, with roughly a third of national output. Its market potential and infrastructure still score near the top.
The shift is therefore about consistency, not collapse. São Paulo finished a clear second, well ahead of the rest.
The rest of the table
Paraná took third place with 76.3 points. Rio Grande do Sul came fourth on 68.0, and Espírito Santo fifth on 67.24.
The result crowns the South as Brazil’s standout region this year. Three of the top four states are southern.
The other end of the table underlines Brazil’s regional divide. States from the North and Northeast cluster at the bottom of the same pillars the South now dominates, a gap the study has documented for years.
Why it matters for expats and investors
Rankings like this one shape where companies expand and where families settle. Safety, schools, courts and red tape drive real decisions.
Santa Catarina already draws attention for its tech scene in Florianópolis and its quality of life. The top spot gives that reputation an official seal.
The next edition is due in 2027. Whether São Paulo fights back or a new era holds will be one to watch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most competitive state in Brazil in 2026?
Santa Catarina is the most competitive state in Brazil this year. It scored 87.06 points in the 2026 Ranking de Competitividade dos Estados, ahead of São Paulo on 80.68.
How long did São Paulo lead the state competitiveness ranking?
Fourteen consecutive editions, from the first in 2012 through 2025. Santa Catarina ended the run in the fifteenth edition, released on 27 August 2026.
What does the state competitiveness ranking measure?
Ten pillars of state performance, including infrastructure, security, education and fiscal soundness. It is produced by the CLP with Tendências Consultoria.
Connected Coverage
The state’s wider appeal is mapped in our Santa Catarina 2026 guide for expats, investors and travelers. Its tech rise showed in how it became second in Brazil for tech revenue per resident.
Sources: Estadão; ND Mais; Poder360; Ranking de Competitividade dos Estados (CLP/Tendências Consultoria).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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