Destinations › South America · The Destination Index · universal template · every figure sourced
Brazil.
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. 8,515,770 sq km and 212,812,405 people, 7,491 km of coastline, mostly tropical, but temperate in south.
Region · South AmericaPopulation · ~212,812,405Languages · Portuguese, plus around 160 Indigenous languages including Nheengatu and GuaraniEco Index · 75/100 · Good
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Conservation
Wildlife
Water
Food & farming
Organic & clean
Climate & energy
Waste
Health
Heritage
Ownership
Governance
Future
The History of Brazil.
Brazil holds some of the most vibrant living heritage on earth, from capoeira and samba to regional forms such as frevo, maracatu and forro. Afro-Brazilian ancestral traditions including Candomble and Umbanda remain living spiritual practices with deep West and Central African roots.
Where the name comes from
From pau-brasil, the brazilwood tree, whose red dye was the first thing Europeans shipped out in quantity. The country is named for an export. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
The land itself: flat to rolling lowlands across the north, with plains, hills and a narrow coastal belt further south. Its high point is Pico da Neblina, 2,994 m. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
Where it starts
Soil as technology
Stone tools at Toca da Tira Peia in Serra da Capivara, Piauí, are around 22,000 years old, and the surrounding rock shelters hold hundreds of painted panels. Human remains from Lagoa Santa are among the oldest in South America. In the Amazon, communities built terra preta, deep permanently fertile dark earths that are still not fully reproduced, and left hundreds of geometric earthworks in Acre. Marajoara mound-builders at the river mouth made some of the finest ceramics in the Americas.
How it got here
1500, and 1888
Portuguese ships reached the coast in 1500. Brazil went on to receive around 4.9 million enslaved Africans, more than any other country in the world, and was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, in 1888. It became independent from Portugal in 1822. The 1988 constitution recognises Indigenous rights to traditional lands.
The timeline
c. 22,000 years ago
Serra da Capivara.
Stone tools at Toca da Tira Peia in Piauí, alongside hundreds of painted rock shelters, place people here far earlier than long assumed. ↗
c. 11,500 years ago
Lagoa Santa.
Human remains from the limestone caves of Minas Gerais, among the oldest in South America. ↗
c. 3000 BC onward
Terra preta.
Amazonian communities build deep, permanently fertile dark earths, a soil technology still not fully reproduced. ↗
c. 200 BC to AD 1000
The Acre geoglyphs.
Hundreds of geometric earthworks in the western Amazon, revealed by deforestation, show large managed landscapes. ↗
c. AD 400 to 1400
Marajoara.
Mound-building societies at the mouth of the Amazon produce some of the finest ceramics in the Americas. ↗
1500
Portuguese landfall.
A Portuguese fleet under Pedro Alvares Cabral, bound for India, reaches the coast of what is now Bahia in April 1500. The land is claimed for Portugal, beginning three centuries of colonial rule. ↗
1500s to 1888
Slavery.
Brazil received around 4.9 million enslaved Africans, more than any other country, and was the last in the Americas to abolish slavery, in 1888. ↗
1822
Independence.
Brazil separates from Portugal in 1822 under Pedro I, the son of the Portuguese king, becoming an empire rather than a republic. It was the only monarchy in independent South America, and it lasted until 1889. ↗
1988
Constitution.
A new constitution recognises Indigenous rights to traditional lands. ↗
Brazil protects 30.6 per cent of its land and 26.8 per cent of its marine territory (World Bank), a vast estate that includes Amazon conservation units and extensive Indigenous lands acting as biodiversity strongholds. The critical weakness is enforcement: illegal logging, land-grabbing and fires have driven heavy deforestation, and protection on paper often outruns protection on the ground. Deforestation rates have swung sharply with changes in federal policy.
Is wild Brazil protected? 30.6% of the land is, already past the 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Brazil?
Forest cover58.98%
Terrestrial protected area30.6%
Marine protected area26.82%
1958 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
Recorded in Brazil and named in the open record. Endemic status is stated per species, not implied by this list.
Golden lion tamarin
Go
Muriqui of the Atlantic Forest
Mu
Hyacinth macaw of the Pantanal
Hy
Cerrado
Ce
The watchlist
ThreatenedBuffy-headed Marmoset (Callithrix flaviceps)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Brazil in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedCherry-throated Tanager (Nemosia rourei)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Brazil in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Brazil in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedColeocephalocereus fluminensisCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Brazil in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedParana Pine (Araucaria angustifolia)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Brazil in GBIF occurrence data (conifer).
ThreatenedPied Tamarin (Saguinus bicolor)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Brazil in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedMuriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Brazil in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedBrachyteles hypoxanthusCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Brazil in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Brazil. GBIF holds 17 verified occurrence records.
Cherry-throated Tanager (Nemosia rourei)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Brazil. GBIF holds 12 verified occurrence records.
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Brazil. GBIF holds 18 verified occurrence records.
Coleocephalocereus fluminensis
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Brazil. GBIF holds 32 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Brazil filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
National park in Rio de Janeiro, mapped and named in the open record for Brazil. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Brazil.
Brazil holds some of the greatest freshwater wealth on the planet, from the Amazon basin, which discharges more river water than any other, to the vast Guarani Aquifer and the Sao Francisco and Parana rivers. Safely managed drinking water reaches about 85.8 per cent of people (World Bank/JMP, 2020), leaving rural and peri-urban sanitation gaps, and the populous south-east has suffered serious droughts such as the 2014 to 2015 Sao Paulo crisis. Supply is abundant overall but unevenly delivered.
Does Brazil have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
88.6% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Most homes have a safe supply, but coverage is not universal, so check locally before drinking from the tap.
Cleanest water: Bonito in Mato Grosso do Sul, famed for crystal-clear spring-fed rivers, and remote Amazon headwaters.
How much fresh water does Brazil have, per person?
26,918 m³
Brazil
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Brazil withdraws about 67,940 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 1.5% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 61%, homes and towns 24%, industry 15%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Brazil beaches?
✕Tap water: Not drinkable.
✕Plastic rules: City-level bans, such as Rio de Janeiro's 2018 to 2019 ban on plastic bags and straws, but no comprehensive national ban..
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 26.82% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Praia Bitingui, Praia Costa Azul, Praia Enseada dos Corais, Praia Generosa, Praia Itapuama, Praia Mamoa, Praia Ponta do Ramo, Praia Quarto Crescente. That is 9 named beaches in the public record for Brazil, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
55.0%
of people have safely managed sanitation
55.0% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
How is the sea around Brazil doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Amazon floods Dec–May; the Pantanal is dry (and best for wildlife) Jul–Oct; the coast has its own patterns.
Nearshore
Protected water
26.82% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Bonito in Mato Grosso do Sul, famed for crystal-clear spring-fed rivers, and remote Amazon headwaters..
The record
Measured
Brazil holds some of the greatest freshwater wealth on the planet, from the Amazon basin, which discharges more river water than any other, to the vast Guarani Aquifer and the Sao Francisco and Parana rivers. Safely managed drinking water reaches about 85.8 per cent of people (World Bank/JMP, 2020), leaving rural and peri-urban sanitation gaps, and the populous south-east has suffered serious droughts such as the 2014 to 2015 Sao Paulo crisis.
Sea protected
26.82%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
1958 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Cleanest water
here
Bonito in Mato Grosso do Sul, famed for crystal-clear spring-fed rivers, and remote Amazon headwaters..
Is the tap water safe in Brazil?
88.6% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 26,918 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 0 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 1.2% of what Brazil renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
When is the best time to visit Brazil? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
.
How much fresh water does Brazil actually have?
Nature renews about 26,918 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Brazil 185 of 208 countries measured, placing it among the 30 best-watered countries measured. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Brazil is one of the world's great food exporters, the top global supplier of soybeans, beef, coffee, sugar and orange juice, and food makes up only about 5.7 per cent of its merchandise imports (World Bank). Staples of rice, beans, cassava and tropical fruit are overwhelmingly home-grown. Self-sufficiency is very high.
Where does the food in Brazil come from?
5.7% imported
about US$16,227m a year
On the plate: Rice and black beans (feijao), cassava (mandioca and farofa), acai, corn.
How often each food is on the plate
Share of people eating each one regularly. These overlap, so they do not add up to 100%.
Rice60%
Acai24%
Corn15%
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$16,227m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
Food is 5.5% of everything Brazil imports (2025, World Bank). Farming itself is 6.1% of the economy and 28.3% of the land is agricultural, of which 6.7% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Brazil? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined57.5%
Diabetes10.6%
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 63%.
Can Brazil feed itself?
6.7%
Arable land
28.3%
Agricultural land
8,262,330
Farmers
137,494,164
Arable acres
6.1%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Coffee harvest from May to September, soy from February to May, and tropical fruit year-round.
Feeding itself
Brazil is one of the world's great food exporters, the top global supplier of soybeans, beef, coffee, sugar and orange juice, and food makes up only about 5.7 per cent of its merchandise imports (World Bank). Staples of rice, beans, cassava and tropical fruit are overwhelmingly home-grown.
Certification
Certified organic land covers only about 0.6 per cent of Brazil's farmland, roughly 1.3 million hectares (FiBL, 2020), a small share of a huge agricultural base. The sector is growing and Brazil has strong agroecology and family-farming movements.
Water for crops
Brazil holds some of the greatest freshwater wealth on the planet, from the Amazon basin, which discharges more river water than any other, to the vast Guarani Aquifer and the Sao Francisco and Parana rivers. Safely managed drinking water reaches about 85.8 per cent of people (World Bank/JMP, 2020), leaving rural and peri-urban sanitation gaps, and the populous south-east has suffered serious droughts such as the 2014 to 2015 Sao Paulo crisis.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certified-organic farmland is not separately reported for Brazil, and that is a certification gap rather than proof nothing is grown cleanly. What the official land record does show: 28.3% of the country is agricultural land and 6.7% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
SugarcaneSoybeansMaizeCassavaOrangesRiceWheat
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Brazil are sugarcane, soya beans and maize (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Brazil runs one of the cleanest large-scale electricity systems in the world, with around 89 per cent of generation from renewables in 2023, led by hydropower at roughly 60 per cent and fast-growing wind and solar. Per-capita energy emissions are low at about 2.2 tonnes of CO2, among the lowest in the G20. The chief climate concern is not the power grid but land-use change, as Amazon deforestation makes Brazil a large overall emitter, and the country is also expanding offshore oil production. Federal policy has swung back towards curbing deforestation, and Brazil hosts COP30 in Belem in 2025.
What powers Brazil?
Renewable 86.6%Fossil 11.3%
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
2.32 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
2.32 tonnes
The grid
Brazil runs one of the cleanest large-scale electricity systems in the world, with around 89 per cent of generation from renewables in 2023, led by hydropower at roughly 60 per cent and fast-growing wind and solar. Per-capita energy emissions are low at about 2.2 tonnes of CO2, among the lowest in the G20.
Pollution
Plastic policy is patchy, built on city-level bans such as Rio de Janeiro's 2018 to 2019 ban on plastic bags and straws, with no comprehensive national ban and persistent litter. Urban air is moderate, with a national PM2.5 annual average around 10 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2024), about twice the WHO guideline, and Amazon fire season causes severe smoke episodes.
Water stress
Brazil holds some of the greatest freshwater wealth on the planet, from the Amazon basin, which discharges more river water than any other, to the vast Guarani Aquifer and the Sao Francisco and Parana rivers. Safely managed drinking water reaches about 85.8 per cent of people (World Bank/JMP, 2020), leaving rural and peri-urban sanitation gaps, and the populous south-east has suffered serious droughts such as the 2014 to 2015 Sao Paulo crisis.
What pollutes most here
1The gridThe share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.11%
2IndustryCattle ranching and soy expansion driving Amazon and Cerrado deforestation, and illegal gold mining with mercury pollution..named
3AirModelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.10
4On the recordPlastic policy is patchy, built on city-level bans such as Rio de Janeiro's 2018 to 2019 ban on plastic bags and straws, with no comprehensive national ban and persistent litter.
What has Brazil promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today77.4% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target30.6% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target26.6% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in policy document; in political pledge. Measured against it, 77.4% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 22.6% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year2.32 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy2.98 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.55 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy2.17 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy1.67 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.65 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Brazil emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Brazil.
Data centres
352
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
86.6 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Brazil?
Running AI here is about as clean as it currently gets.
Renewable 86.6%Fossil 13.4%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 77.4% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Brazil has 352 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in São Paulo (28), Rio de Janeiro (23), Fortaleza (12), alongside 53 internet exchanges (Equinix São Paulo, IX.br (PTT.br) São Paulo, IX.br (PTT.br) Porto Alegre, IX.br (PTT.br) Curitiba). Named sites include Equinix SP4 - São Paulo, PIX Telium, Moebius Datacenter, Cirion Sao Paulo, SAO1.
Where the cables land. 75 landing points · Afuá, Alenquer, Almeirim, Alvarães
97% residents to 3% visitors across a year. 6,353,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 212,812,405 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Brazil
6,353k
Visitors a year
0.0
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Brazil?· for every $100 Brazil earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 96What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 106The IMF's own forecast has this rising to $106 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Brazil earns in a year, it owes $96 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Brazil?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 6,353,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 212,812,405 residents, one visitor a year for every 33 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play
2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Brazil is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published
3
The plate
Food is only 5.5% of everything Brazil imports (2025, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugarcane, soybeans, maize, cassava, oranges, rice, wheat, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown
4
The power
77.4% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home
5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power stay inside Brazil. This is not an economy where a visitor's money drains away, and the board is shorter for it.
most of it
6
Pay the bank first
Brazil owes $96 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$96 per $100
7
A spread hand
The largest single export, mineral fuels and oils, is 16.2% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 16.2%
8
Community chest
Tourism earns 1.3% of everything Brazil makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
1.3% of exports
9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Singapore a return economy seat is 2.98 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.98 t CO2
10
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$2,636 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$2,636bn
GDPUS$2,279.9bn
Agriculture, share of GDP6.1%
Visitors a year6,353,000
Visitors per resident0
Residents~212,812,405
Agriculture
Farming is 6.1% of the economy. Brazil is one of the world's great food exporters, the top global supplier of soybeans, beef, coffee, sugar and orange juice, and food makes up only about 5.7 per cent of its merchandise imports (World Bank).
Natural materials
Brazil is a major cotton producer and exporter, and its Amazon and north-eastern communities work a rich range of natural plant fibres including buriti, tucum, piacava palm and carnauba, alongside Indigenous weaving and leatherwork. These are living, everyday material traditions rather than heritage displays.
Energy
Brazil runs one of the cleanest large-scale electricity systems in the world, with around 89 per cent of generation from renewables in 2023, led by hydropower at roughly 60 per cent and fast-growing wind and solar. Per-capita energy emissions are low at about 2.2 tonnes of CO2, among the lowest in the G20.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Brazil?
By rooms · company records and press.
Pousada Uakari · ~10 roomsIndependentnot published
Pousada Maravilha · ~8 roomsIndependentnot published
Pousada Trijunção · ~7 roomsIndependentnot published
Pousada Araras Eco Lodge · ~19 roomsIndependentnot published
Pousada do Capão · ~18 roomsIndependentnot published
Brisa da Mata Ecolodges · ~6 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20146,430k
20156,306k
20166,547k
20176,589k
20186,621k
20196,353k
International tourism receipts run at about US$3.10 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 1.3% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
All-inclusive resortForeign-owned hotel and tourist restaurantsLocally owned stay and local restaurantsGuesthouse, markets and public transport
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, sugarcane, soybeans, maize, cassava, oranges, rice and wheat, over an imported menu. The checked list →
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays. Eco tours →
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays →
4. Use the transport residents use Distances are vast, so domestic flights connect the regions, long-distance buses do the heavy lifting, and river boats serve the Amazon.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
swipe →
First time here
Brazil is the most biodiverse country on Earth, runs a near-renewable electricity grid and exports vast quantities of food, yet weak enforcement lets Amazon and Cerrado deforestation undercut its enormous protected estate.
Best time: The May to September dry season for the Amazon, Pantanal wildlife and waterfalls; the north-east coast is good most of the year.
Getting around
Distances are vast, so domestic flights connect the regions, long-distance buses do the heavy lifting, and river boats serve the Amazon.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is sugarcane, soybeans, maize, cassava, oranges, rice and wheat. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cards everywhere; BRL. Learn a little Portuguese.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Pousada UakariPousada MaravilhaPousada TrijunçãoPousada Araras Eco LodgePousada do CapãoBrisa da Mata Ecolodges
.
Who owns the big hotels
Pousada UakariIndependent · 10 rooms
Pousada MaravilhaIndependent · 8 rooms
Pousada TrijunçãoIndependent · 7 rooms
Pousada Araras Eco LodgeIndependent · 19 rooms
Pousada do CapãoIndependent · 18 rooms
Brisa da Mata EcolodgesIndependent · 6 rooms
None of the 6 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Brazil.
How well is Brazil actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Brazil scores 50 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
How well is Brazil run? · each scored out of 100, higher is better
Clean government, scored 40 of 100
Control of corruption scores 39.6 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is below the halfway mark of governments measured.
40
Freedom and rights, scored 62 of 100
Voice and accountability, which measures free expression, free media and the ability to choose a government, scores 62.4 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Citizens have some room to question their government.
62
Government effectiveness, scored 47 of 100
Government effectiveness, which measures the quality of public services and how well policy is actually delivered, scores 47 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Delivery is rated below average, so a pledge on paper is not the same as a pledge kept.
47
Income equality, scored 50 of 100
The Gini index of income inequality reads 50.3 (2024, World Bank). Zero is perfect equality and 100 is one person holding everything. Above 40 is the level usually treated as socially strained, and Brazil sits above it.
50
LGBTQ+ status: MixedSolo female travel: Take care94.7% adult literacyIndustry to avoid: Cattle ranching and soy expansion driving Amazon and Cerrado deforestation, and illegal gold mining with mercury pollution.
What is daily life in Brazil really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Distances are vast, so domestic flights connect the regions, long-distance buses do the heavy lifting, and river boats serve the Amazon.
✓Air quality, measured Modelled annual mean 10. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³.
✓Where the air is cleanest The interior Amazon and highland national parks, away from cities and fire fronts.
·Tap water Not drinkable
✓What to drink Bottled water; tap in some cities is treated but not worth the risk.
✓Plastic rules City-level bans, such as Rio de Janeiro's 2018 to 2019 ban on plastic bags and straws, but no comprehensive national ban.
✓Sockets and voltage Type A/B/C, 220V (Brazil 127/220V)
94.7%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 5.6% of GDP and 12.9% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 104.1% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2022 to 2024).
Made in Brazil.
Brazil is a major cotton producer and exporter, and its Amazon and north-eastern communities work a rich range of natural plant fibres including buriti, tucum, piacava palm and carnauba, alongside Indigenous weaving and leatherwork. These are living, everyday material traditions rather than heritage displays. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Brazil actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Brazil sells the world is mineral fuels and oils, 16.2% of all exports in 2023 (about US$55.17 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are oil seeds and oleaginous fruit at 15.9%, ores, slag and ash at 10.3%, meat at 6.5%, sugar and sugar confectionery at 4.7%.
Made now · natural materials
Buriti
Worked in Brazil from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Tucum
Worked in Brazil from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Piacava palm
Worked in Brazil from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Carnauba
Worked in Brazil from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Alongside Indigenous weaving
Worked in Brazil from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Leatherwork. These are living
Worked in Brazil from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 14.2% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Brazil imported US$35.97 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 14.2% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 11.8% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Brazil imported US$29.76 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 11.8% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 7.7% of imports
Vehicles
Brazil imported US$19.35 billion of vehicles in 2023, 7.7% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 6.3% of imports
Fertilisers
Brazil imported US$16.01 billion of fertilisers in 2023, 6.3% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Brazil produces about US$2,280 billion a year, which is roughly US$10,713 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 6.1% of that, while food is 5.5% of everything the country imports. With 6.7% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
A living tradition of Brazil, still practised rather than archived.
Samba
A living tradition of Brazil, still practised rather than archived.
Frevo
A living tradition of Brazil, still practised rather than archived.
Maracatu
A living tradition of Brazil, still practised rather than archived.
ForroA living tradition of Brazil, still practised rather than archived.
CandombleA living tradition of Brazil, still practised rather than archived.
Does Brazil protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Brazil holds some of the most vibrant living heritage on earth, from capoeira and samba to regional forms such as frevo, maracatu and forro. Afro-Brazilian ancestral traditions including Candomble and Umbanda remain living spiritual practices with deep West and Central African roots. Hundreds of indigenous peoples sustain their own languages, cosmologies and ceremonial practice across the Amazon and beyond.
Who it belongs to. Brazil is home to hundreds of Indigenous peoples speaking scores of languages, plus quilombola communities descended from escaped enslaved people, and community-run Amazon ecotourism is growing. Land-rights conflict and pressure on Indigenous territories are real and ongoing, and much of the tourism economy is beach and city based. Genuine community tourism exists but sits alongside these tensions.
Only here. The Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland and the best place on Earth to see wild jaguars..
Three futures for Brazil, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Papel Craft (Guará), Efeito Craft (Anápolis). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: Armazém de Maria, Artesanato Guapiara, Artesanato e Informações Turísticas, Bambuart, Móveis em Bambu, Bazar Rose, Casa do Artesão.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
-14%
Forest cover
1995: 68.2 % → 2023: 59 %
-18%
Renewable electricity
1995: 94.2 % → 2021: 77.4 %
+34%
CO2 per person
1995: 1.73 t → 2024: 2.32 t
+219%
Tourist arrivals
1995: 1991 k → 2019: 6353 k
+16%
Protected land
2013: 26.4 % → 2025: 30.6 %
-51%
Farm workforce
1995: 15.7 % → 2025: 7.6 %
+1946%
Protected sea
2013: 1.3 % → 2025: 26.6 %
+4%
Agricultural land
1995: 27.3 % → 2023: 28.3 %
+13%
Urban population
1995: 77.7 % → 2025: 88.2 %
-50%
Air pollution
1995: 26.8 µg/m³ → 2023: 13.4 µg/m³
-23%
Fresh water per person
1995: 35001.7 m³ → 2022: 26917.9 m³
+63%
Adult overweight
1995: 38.7 % → 2022: 63 %
+9%
Electricity access
1995: 91.7 % → 2024: 99.8 %
+125%
GDP per person
1995: 4757 → 2025: 10713
+32%
Population
1995: 161735 k → 2025: 212812 k
+1%
Renewable energy use
1995: 46.1 % → 2021: 46.5 %
+51%
Energy per person
1995: 998.8 kg → 2024: 1512 kg
+56%
Protected area, total
2013: 18.9 % → 2025: 29.4 %
+12%
Life expectancy
1995: 67.7 yrs → 2024: 76 yrs
+99%
Cereal yield
1995: 2513 ha → 2024: 5003 ha
+248%
Fertiliser use
1995: 98.8 ha → 2023: 344.1 ha
-47%
Rural population
1995: 22.3 % → 2025: 11.8 %
+38%
Water productivity
1995: 20.3 $/m3 → 2022: 28 $/m3
+17%
Health spending
2000: 8.33 % → 2023: 9.73 %
-14%
Forest area
1995: 5699933 km2 → 2023: 4929788 km2
+87%
Electric power use
1995: 1637 kWh → 2024: 3068 kWh
+63%
Emissions: Agriculture
1990: 357.8 e → 2023: 582 e
+13%
Emissions: Building
1990: 25.5 e → 2023: 28.9 e
+144%
Emissions: Electricity/Heat
1990: 28.8 e → 2023: 70.4 e
+125%
Emissions: Energy
1990: 211.7 e → 2023: 477.1 e
+212%
Emissions: Industrial Processes
1990: 18.1 e → 2023: 56.4 e
+82%
Emissions: Manufacturing/Construction
1990: 49.5 e → 2023: 89.9 e
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 68.2% to 59.0% across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 94.2% to 77.4% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 1.7 t to 2.3 t across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 1991k to 6353k across 24 recorded years.
World Bank ST.INT.ARVL
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 26.4% to 30.6% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.LND.PTLD.ZS
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 15.7% to 7.6% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 1.3% to 26.6% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 27.3% to 28.3% across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.AGRI.ZS
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 77.7% to 88.2% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 26.8 µg/m³ to 13.4 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 35001.7 m³ to 26917.9 m³ across 27 recorded years.
World Bank ER.H2O.INTR.PC
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 38.7% to 63.0% across 27 recorded years.
World Bank SH.STA.OWAD.ZS
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 91.7% to 99.8% across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 4757 to 10713 across 30 recorded years.
World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 161735k to 212812k across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.POP.TOTL
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 46.1% to 46.5% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 998.78 kg to 1512 kg across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 18.9% to 29.4% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.PTD.TOTL.ZS
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 67.7 yrs to 76.02 yrs across 29 recorded years.
World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 2513 kg/ha to 5003 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
World Bank AG.YLD.CREL.KG
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 98.82 kg/ha to 344.09 kg/ha across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.CON.FERT.ZS
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 22.29% to 11.82% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 20.26 $/m3 to 27.96 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
World Bank ER.GDP.FWTL.M3.KD
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 8.33% to 9.73% across 23 recorded years.
World Bank SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 5699933 km2 to 4929788 km2 across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.FRST.K2
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 1637 kWh to 3068 kWh across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EG.USE.ELEC.KH.PC
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 357.78 to 581.95 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 25.49 to 28.89 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 28.78 to 70.36 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 211.73 to 477.11 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 18.1 to 56.44 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 49.49 to 89.92 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, organic farming at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
Current path
Every line above is a recorded World Bank series for this country. The current path is simply those series continuing at the pace already measured.
Computed from: recorded series, no policy change assumed
Best case
The pledges are met on their own stated timetables and the weakest pillars are lifted to match the strongest. Brazil already shows it can do this: wildlife scores 5/5.
Computed from: each published target delivered on its own date
What the best case actually asks for
Lift organic farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Brazil's record. Certified organic land covers only about 0.6 per cent of Brazil's farmland, roughly 1.3 million hectares (FiBL, 2020), a small share of a huge agricultural base. The sector is growing and Brazil has strong agroecology and family-farming movements. On the certified measure the share remains low. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Brazil's record. Formal municipal recycling in Brazil is low, at a few per cent of waste, but the country has a large informal recycling workforce of catadores and world-leading aluminium-can recovery of around 98 per cent. The gap between weak formal systems and strong informal and can recycling is stark. Overall municipal performance remains modest. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift natural fibres
It scores 3 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Brazil's record. Brazil is a major cotton producer and exporter, and its Amazon and north-eastern communities work a rich range of natural plant fibres including buriti, tucum, piacava palm and carnauba, alongside Indigenous weaving and leatherwork. These are living, everyday material traditions rather than heritage displays. The breadth of natural-fibre craft is considerable. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Brazil.
Who is in charge of Brazil now · office-holders and institutions as published by the state itself; scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the head of government of Brazil, in office since 1 January 2023. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government: 62.4 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Control of corruption: 39.6 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Political stability and absence of violence: 57 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Rule of law: 49.3 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Regulatory quality: 50.2 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaPresident
National Congress (Congresso nacional)Legislature, bicameral
Next election4 October 2026
Last election2 October 2022, with runoff on 30 October 2022
Constitutioncurrent text dates from 1988
Government typefederal presidential republic
Brazil national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
2050
Net zero
In Policy Document<br>In Political Pledge
Net-zero target as recorded by Climate Watch. Status: In Policy Document (11/13/2024, 10/28/2021, 12/8/2020) In Political Pledge (4/22/2021) ↗
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
swipe →
Is Brazil sustainable?
Brazil scores 75 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Brazil is the most biodiverse country on Earth, runs a near-renewable electricity grid and exports vast quantities of food, yet weak enforcement lets Amazon and Cerrado deforestation undercut its enormous protected estate.
Is the water in Brazil safe and plentiful?
Brazil holds some of the greatest freshwater wealth on the planet, from the Amazon basin, which discharges more river water than any other, to the vast Guarani Aquifer and the Sao Francisco and Parana rivers. Safely managed drinking water reaches about 85.8 per cent of people (World Bank/JMP, 2020), leaving rural and peri-urban sanitation gaps, and the populous south-east has suffered serious droughts such as the 2014 to 2015 Sao Paulo crisis. Supply is abundant overall but unevenly delivered.
Can Brazil feed itself?
Brazil is one of the world's great food exporters, the top global supplier of soybeans, beef, coffee, sugar and orange juice, and food makes up only about 5.7 per cent of its merchandise imports (World Bank). Staples of rice, beans, cassava and tropical fruit are overwhelmingly home-grown. Self-sufficiency is very high.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Brazil?
The everyday base of rice and black beans, cassava, corn and an extraordinary range of tropical fruit including acai makes plant-based eating easy and cheap across Brazil. Set against that is a strong churrasco grilled-meat culture, so meat is never far away. Fresh produce markets are abundant in every town.
How much of Brazil is actually protected?
Brazil protects 30.6 per cent of its land and 26.8 per cent of its marine territory (World Bank), a vast estate that includes Amazon conservation units and extensive Indigenous lands acting as biodiversity strongholds. The critical weakness is enforcement: illegal logging, land-grabbing and fires have driven heavy deforestation, and protection on paper often outruns protection on the ground. Deforestation rates have swung sharply with changes in federal policy.
What wildlife is left in Brazil?
Brazil is the most biodiverse country on Earth, home to more known species of plants, freshwater fish and amphibians than anywhere else, spanning the Amazon, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. Endemism is exceptional, from the golden lion tamarin and muriqui of the Atlantic Forest to the hyacinth macaw. It offers the best wild jaguar viewing on the planet in the Pantanal.
Is Brazil on clean energy?
Brazil runs one of the cleanest large-scale electricity systems in the world, with around 89 per cent of generation from renewables in 2023, led by hydropower at roughly 60 per cent and fast-growing wind and solar. Per-capita energy emissions are low at about 2.2 tonnes of CO2, among the lowest in the G20. The chief climate concern is not the power grid but land-use change, as Amazon deforestation makes Brazil a large overall emitter, and the country is also expanding offshore oil production.
How polluted is Brazil?
Plastic policy is patchy, built on city-level bans such as Rio de Janeiro's 2018 to 2019 ban on plastic bags and straws, with no comprehensive national ban and persistent litter. Urban air is moderate, with a national PM2.5 annual average around 10 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2024), about twice the WHO guideline, and Amazon fire season causes severe smoke episodes. Enforcement is uneven.
Does recycling work in Brazil?
Formal municipal recycling in Brazil is low, at a few per cent of waste, but the country has a large informal recycling workforce of catadores and world-leading aluminium-can recovery of around 98 per cent. The gap between weak formal systems and strong informal and can recycling is stark. Overall municipal performance remains modest.
Is the farming in Brazil organic?
Certified organic land covers only about 0.6 per cent of Brazil's farmland, roughly 1.3 million hectares (FiBL, 2020), a small share of a huge agricultural base. The sector is growing and Brazil has strong agroecology and family-farming movements. On the certified measure the share remains low.
Are there natural materials and craft in Brazil?
Brazil is a major cotton producer and exporter, and its Amazon and north-eastern communities work a rich range of natural plant fibres including buriti, tucum, piacava palm and carnauba, alongside Indigenous weaving and leatherwork. These are living, everyday material traditions rather than heritage displays. The breadth of natural-fibre craft is considerable.
Is there living culture in Brazil?
Brazil is home to hundreds of Indigenous peoples speaking scores of languages, plus quilombola communities descended from escaped enslaved people, and community-run Amazon ecotourism is growing. Land-rights conflict and pressure on Indigenous territories are real and ongoing, and much of the tourism economy is beach and city based. Genuine community tourism exists but sits alongside these tensions.
What heritage does Brazil keep alive?
Brazil holds some of the most vibrant living heritage on earth, from capoeira and samba to regional forms such as frevo, maracatu and forro. Afro-Brazilian ancestral traditions including Candomble and Umbanda remain living spiritual practices with deep West and Central African roots. Hundreds of indigenous peoples sustain their own languages, cosmologies and ceremonial practice across the Amazon and beyond.
So is Brazil actually green? The measured answer
What is working: land protected at 30.6%, sea protected at 26.6%, renewable electricity at 77.4%.
What is not: the gaps are narrower here than in most of the directory, and each remaining one is named below.
Brazil sits 12 of 77 at 75/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking →
What is Brazil particularly good at?
✓Food and farming, scored 5/5. Brazil is one of the world's great food exporters, the top global supplier of soybeans, beef, coffee, sugar and orange juice, and food makes up only about 5.7 per cent of its merchandise imports (World Bank). Staples of rice, beans, cassava and tropical fruit are overwhelmingly home-grown. Self-sufficiency is very high.
✓Heritage, scored 5/5. Brazil holds some of the most vibrant living heritage on earth, from capoeira and samba to regional forms such as frevo, maracatu and forro. Afro-Brazilian ancestral traditions including Candomble and Umbanda remain living spiritual practices with deep West and Central African roots. Hundreds of indigenous peoples sustain their own languages, cosmologies and ceremonial practice across the Amazon and beyond. UNESCO recognises Samba de Roda and capoeira as intangible cultural heritage.
✓Wildlife, scored 5/5. Brazil is the most biodiverse country on Earth, home to more known species of plants, freshwater fish and amphibians than anywhere else, spanning the Amazon, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. Endemism is exceptional, from the golden lion tamarin and muriqui of the Atlantic Forest to the hyacinth macaw. It offers the best wild jaguar viewing on the planet in the Pantanal.
Where does Brazil score worst?
✕Pollution, scored 3/5. Plastic policy is patchy, built on city-level bans such as Rio de Janeiro's 2018 to 2019 ban on plastic bags and straws, with no comprehensive national ban and persistent litter. Urban air is moderate, with a national PM2.5 annual average around 10 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2024), about twice the WHO guideline, and Amazon fire season causes severe smoke episodes. Enforcement is uneven.
✕Organic farming, scored 2/5. Certified organic land covers only about 0.6 per cent of Brazil's farmland, roughly 1.3 million hectares (FiBL, 2020), a small share of a huge agricultural base. The sector is growing and Brazil has strong agroecology and family-farming movements. On the certified measure the share remains low.
✕Recycling, scored 2/5. Formal municipal recycling in Brazil is low, at a few per cent of waste, but the country has a large informal recycling workforce of catadores and world-leading aluminium-can recovery of around 98 per cent. The gap between weak formal systems and strong informal and can recycling is stark. Overall municipal performance remains modest.
Similar countries doing it better and worse
PeruScored on the same twelve pillars as Brazil.80
EcuadorScored on the same twelve pillars as Brazil.75
ColombiaScored on the same twelve pillars as Brazil.72
ChileScored on the same twelve pillars as Brazil.65
A note from the lens of mother natureswipe →
Energy, 4/5
Brazil runs one of the cleanest large-scale electricity systems in the world, with around 89 per cent of generation from renewables in 2023, led by hydropower at roughly 60 per cent and fast-growing wind and solar. Per-capita energy emissions are low at about 2.2 tonnes of CO2, among the lowest in the G20.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Brazil's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Food and farming, 5/5
Brazil is one of the world's great food exporters, the top global supplier of soybeans, beef, coffee, sugar and orange juice, and food makes up only about 5.7 per cent of its merchandise imports (World Bank). Staples of rice, beans, cassava and tropical fruit are overwhelmingly home-grown.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Brazil's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Heritage, 5/5
Brazil holds some of the most vibrant living heritage on earth, from capoeira and samba to regional forms such as frevo, maracatu and forro. Afro-Brazilian ancestral traditions including Candomble and Umbanda remain living spiritual practices with deep West and Central African roots.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Brazil's record, so it is where the score moves first.
The Brazil Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Brazil, checked and listed.
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Government effectiveness
47 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Rule of law
49.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Political stability
57 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Voice and accountability
62.4 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Environmental Performance Index
53.0 / 100 · 47 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 47 of 180 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
63.9 / 100 · 35 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 35 of 180 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
62.3 / 100 · 41 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 41 of 180 countries assessed.
Air pollution
90.6 / 100 · 24 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 24 of 180 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
76.7 / 100 · 45 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 45 of 180 countries assessed.
Marine protected areas
73.4 / 100 · 62 of 131
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 62 of 131 countries assessed.
How Brazil Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Conservation
Land and sea actually protected, not pledged
02
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost
03
Water
Fresh water per person, and the ocean’s health
04
Food & farming
Whether the place can feed itself
05
Organic & clean
Certified land and pesticide reality
06
Climate & energy
Emissions per person, how the grid is powered
07
Waste
Where the rubbish goes, what comes back
08
Health
What people eat and die of
09
Heritage
Living culture, and what the law keeps standing
10
Ownership
Who owns the economy, how much of a dollar stays
11
Governance
Freedom, honesty, promises kept
12
Future
Measured trends run forward, pledges against pace
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
One index, every destination. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
