Brazil is Latin America’s largest country in terms of surface area, population and GDP. At the start of the 21st century, the Brazilian economy grew by more than 5% a year, but the country experienced a sharp slowdown in 2013, followed by a recession that lasted from 2014 to 2017. Although economic growth has lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty since 2000, inequality and unemployment remain major social problems.

Brazil is Latin America’s largest country in terms of surface area, population and GDP. At the beginning of the 21st century, Brazil’s economy grew by more than 5% a year. The country experienced a sharp slowdown in 2013, followed by a recession that lasted from 2014 to 2017. Although economic growth has lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty since 2000, inequality and unemployment remain major social problems.

Brazil’s economy is based on a large agricultural sector, which accounts for 6.6% of GDP. Brazil is one of the world’s leading exporters of agricultural products, notably beef, coffee, cotton, corn, rice, soybeans, wheat and sugar. Manufacturing accounts for just 20.7% of GDP, making it Latin America’s second-largest manufacturing economy (after Mexico). The main industries are automobiles, steel, petrochemicals, aeronautics and consumer durables.

The service sector accounts for 72.7% of the Brazilian economy, with financial services a particular strength.

Market research in Brazil is mainly concentrated in São Paulo. Meenthe also has capacities in other cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza. Most market research in Brazil has to be carried out in Portuguese, as less than 5% of the population speaks English.