Abstract (EN)

During the 2000s, social indicators showed significant improvement, and by the end of the decade a remarkable shift in poverty and income inequality was seen. In 2012, 30.4 million Brazilians were considered poor while extreme poverty touched 10.1 million individuals, and the Gini index decreased to 0.53. The reduction in poverty as well as the improvement on income distribution—both unparalleled in Brazilian history—are attributable to a number of events such as the several social policies adopted in the period and the growth experienced by the Brazilian economy during the first decade of the 21st century.