Brazilians’ monthly income from welfare sees new record in 2024
The income stemming from Brazilian welfare programs such as Bolsa Família and the Continued Assistance Benefit—BPC in the original acronym—grew by 72.7 percent from 2019 to 2024.
The monthly average of BRL 836 ($147.93) is the highest since 2012, as per official figures. The survey takes into income from work, welfare programs, retirement, pensions, and other sources of income such as rents, investment, and scholarships.
The data show that such programs guarantee income to 9.2 percent of Brazilians, the equivalent of 20.1 million people. The percentage is higher than the 6.3 percent recorded in 2019, before the pandemic, and the 8.6 percent in 2023.
Across Brazil, the real monthly household income per capita was BRL 2,020 ($357.45) in 2024. The largest share of this income—74.9 percent—comes from work. Welfare programs for 3.8 percent of household income on average.
Main programs
The BPC guarantees a monthly minimum wage (currently $268.62) to people aged 65 or over and to people with disabilities of any age.
Bolsa Família, in turn, is a federal cash transfer program that integrates health care, education, and employment benefits for families living in poverty. It is Brazil’s largest cash transfer program. To qualify for the benefit, the monthly income of each person in a given family must be below BRL 218 ($38.57).
