Brazil’s Economy Looks Great on Paper — the Fine Print Tells a Different Story

2026-02-17 - 09:55

Key Points — Brazil’s headline unemployment fell to a historic low of 5.1% in late 2025, but the broader “real unemployment” rate — counting discouraged workers and the underemployed — sat at nearly 14%, affecting roughly 15 million people. — Poverty fell to record lows, but without government welfare transfers, extreme poverty would be nearly