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Santa Catarina ended 2023 with 859,9 thousand people living on R$22 per day, a figure that reflects 11,5% of the state's population living in poverty. Despite this significant number, the state stood out on the national scene for having the lowest percentage of poverty in Brazil, according to the 2024 Summary of Social Indicators, published by IBGE.
Compared to 2022, Santa Catarina reduced its poverty rate by 1,3 percentage points, which was previously 12,8%. This improvement represented a reduction of 88,5 thousand people who left this condition in the period of one year. The state also made progress in reducing extreme poverty, which reached 1,4% in 2023, the third lowest rate in Brazil, behind only Goiás and Rio Grande do Sul.
The dynamics of poverty in Santa Catarina
The IBGE considers people with a monthly per capita household income of less than R$209 to be in extreme poverty. In 2023, Santa Catarina registered 105,4 thousand people in this condition, a reduction of 24,6 thousand in relation to the previous year.
Despite the challenges, Santa Catarina remains a benchmark in social indicators in Brazil. The state had the lowest poverty rate in Brazil, while the national rate was 27,4%, the lowest since the beginning of the historical series, in 2012. Across the country, 8,7 million people were lifted out of poverty last year.
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The extreme poverty rate in Brazil also fell to 4,4%, representing 9,5 million people in 2023. This scenario was driven by factors such as greater job offers and improvements in social programs, such as increasing the value of Bolsa Família to R$600 and expanding welfare benefits.
Other good results from Santa Catarina
In addition to leading the way in poverty reduction, Santa Catarina has maintained its tradition of good social indicators. The state had the lowest unemployment rate for most of the IBGE's historical series, which began in 2012. In 2023, the unemployment rate was 3,4%, one of the three lowest in Brazil.
Another fact that draws attention is the low percentage of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 who neither study nor work, the so-called neither-nor. In Santa Catarina, only 12,2% of young people are in this situation, the lowest rate in the country.
In the private sector, the state led formalization, with 77,1% of employed people registered in 2023. The labor underutilization rate was the lowest in Brazil, 6,0%, much lower than the national average of 18%.
What's next
Although 859,9 thousand people living on R$22 per day is still a worrying reality, Santa Catarina shows that effective public policies and a favorable economic environment can make a difference. The state follows as a model, leading the fight against poverty and strengthening social inclusion. The challenge now is to maintain the trajectory of reducing rates and guarantee opportunities for all.
I don't know, but the only ones who don't get a job are those who don't want one. There are a lot of job openings.