Brazil: Macroeconomic Profile
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INCOME AND PRODUCTION
Brazil's Gross Domestic Product for 1995 totalled US$632 billion, placing it ninth among the leading nations in the world. Owing to its extensive territory and considerable population, considered in conjunction with a per capita GDP of US$4,051, Brazil offers investors one of the world's most attractive consumer markets.
GDP per capita from 1991 to 1995
|
Year |
GDP |
Population (millions) |
GDP per capita (US$) |
|
1991 |
555 |
146 |
3,801 |
|
1992 |
550 |
149 |
3,691 |
|
1993 |
574 |
152 |
3,776 |
|
1994 |
607 |
154 |
4,040 |
|
1995 |
632 |
156 |
4,051 |
** At constant prices (US$ 1,995)
Source: IPEA/ IBGE
The distribution of the GDP according to sectors has undergone few modifications over the last 25 years.
Sectorial Distribution of the GDP in Brazil
|
SECTOR |
1970 |
1993 |
|
Agriculture |
12 |
11 |
|
Industry |
38 |
37 |
|
Services |
49 |
52 |
Source: IBGE
Over the last five years, GDP growth was most pronounced in the agricultural sector, reaching 22.6%.
The industrial and services sectors expanded by 16.3% and 15.2% respectively in the corresponding period.
Brazilian agriculture offers significant comparative economic advantages, owing to the vast extension of area suitable for agricultural production, a climate which varies from tropical to temperate according to region, topography which lends itself to mechanization and, further, the large-scale availability of fresh water.
The country as a whole produced around 80 million tons of grain in 1995 and boasts one of the three largest livestock herds in the world, totalling about 150 million head of cattle. It is also one of the worldís leading exporters and producers of coffee, soya, cocoa, orange juice, sugar, alcohol and tobacco.
The total of forested area in Brazil in 1995 was 5.6 million square kilometers.
Mineral resources in Brazil are abundant. The most important are: bauxite, iron ore, nickel, magnesium and gold. The premier area is the Carajás Project in the north, where extraction is developing at an accelerated pace to take advantage of the rich deposits of iron ore, magnesium and other minerals.
Since the post-World War II period, industrial development has become a principal sector and priority of successive Brazilian governments. There have been many programs geared towards stimulating the growth of the main industrial segments and the creation of companies to manufacture machinery and equipment. Today, the country's industrial capacity is highly diversified and notable for exports of manufactured and capital goods.