Brazil at a Glance

An overview of Brazil's economy - its size, resources, industries and regional differences - and why it's often compared with India.

Brazil is Latin America’s largest economy.

Size

Population of around 210 million.
Among the world’s 10 largest economies in some years.
An upper-middle-income country.

Resources

Farmland: a top exporter of soybeans, beef, chicken, coffee, sugar and orange juice.
Minerals: iron ore through Vale.
Oil: large offshore pre-salt reserves.
Amazon rainforest and huge water resources.

Industries

Cars, aircraft (Embraer), steel and chemicals.
Services and banking.

Regions

The south-east (São Paulo, Rio) is richest.
The north-east is poorer.

Comparison with India

Both are large, diverse democracies and BRICS members, but Brazil is more urbanised and has higher income per person, while India grows faster.

The soybean giant

Brazil became the world's largest soybean exporter, shipping huge volumes to China from ports in the south and north.

Thinking Brazil only exports coffee

It exports soybeans, beef, iron ore, oil and aircraft too.

Key takeaways

Brazil is Latin America's largest economy.
It's a top exporter of farm products, iron ore and oil.
It has industries like cars and aircraft.
It's often compared with India as a large BRICS democracy.