Brazil Overview
In a global comparison, the large emerging country Brazil is in the top 5 in terms of the number of students and in the top 10 in terms of spending on research and development (R&D). In education and research, Brazil is Germany’s most important partner country in Latin America. The focus is on environmental and sustainability research, bioeconomy and research on strategic economic raw materials. More recent measures take up the topic of digital change and provide impetus for technology transfer.
Population / geography
Country name | República Federativa do BrasilFederative Republic of Brazil |
Capital | Brasília |
Land area | 8.5 million km²; 47% of the area of South America |
Population | 209 million(2018) |
Life expectancy | 74 years |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 22.3%15-64 years: 69.4%
65 years and older: 8.3% (2017) |
Growth of population | 0.7% (2017) |
Population groups | Since Brazil was a former immigration country, there is now an ethnic diversity and mix in the population. There are around 800,000 indigenous people. The four population groups that have dominated Brazil since the country was settled are so mixed that it is often no longer possible to clearly assign them to a particular ethnic group. Today’s population mix in Brazil consists – to a very small extent – of the various Indian groups, the original Portuguese colonialists, the descendants of Africans who were brought to Brazil as slaves, and the various immigrant groups, mainly from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. |
National languages | Portuguese in the Brazilian variant (official language) |
Religions | Predominantly Roman Catholic (approx. 68%); increasingly Protestant groups and sects; spreads syncretistic-animistic cults |
National day | September 07, Independence Day |
Time zones | Acre Time: CET – 6 (UTC – 5)Amazon Time: CET – 5 (UTC – 4)
Brazil Time: CET – 4 hours (UTC – 3) Fernando de Noronha Time: CET – 3 hours (UTC – 2) |
Independence | 07 September 1822 from Portugal |
Currency | 1 real BRL / 100 centavosCurrent exchange rate at OANDA.com – Currency converter (see links below) |
Prefix | +55 |
Sources: Countryaah.com
Politics / Administration
Country name | República Federativa do BrasilFederative Republic of Brazil |
Form of government | Presidential Federal Republic |
Head of state | Jair Messias BOLSONARO – President, also head of government – of the Social Liberal Party PSL, since 01.01.2019 |
Capital | Brasília |
Foreign Minister | Ernesto Araújo, since January 1st, 2019 |
Minister of Education | Abraham Weintraub, since April 10, 2019 |
Science Minister | Marcos Pontes, since 01/01/2019 |
Houses of Parliament | National Congress (Congresso Nacional), consists of: House of Representatives (Câmara dos Deputados, 513 MPs) andSenate (Senado Federal, 81 senators).
Last presidential and parliamentary elections in 2018 |
Ruling parties | Coalition of a wide range of 17 parties:
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Opposition parties | 6 parties led by:
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Administrative structure | 26 states and one federal district, over 5,500 parishes (municípios) |
Independence day | 07 September 1822 from Portugal |
National holiday | September 07, Independence Day |
Political system
Brazil is a presidential federal republic. It consists of federal, state and local authorities. The legislative power in the Federation is exercised by the National Congress (Chamber of Deputies and Senate). The 513 MPs are elected for four years and the 81 senators for eight years. The constitution entered into force on October 5, 1988.
The President or the President is having an absolute majority of votes for a term of four years, elected directly by the people. He or she can then only be re-elected once (or again after an interruption). The federal government consists of the head of state (also head of government), the vice president and the federal ministers. The last presidential, gubernatorial and parliamentary elections took place in late 2018.
Brazil is divided into 26 states as well as the federal district with the capital Brasília. The states have their own constitutions and laws that must conform to the principles of the federal constitution. The heads of state of the states, the governors, are directly elected for 4 years.
In domestic politics in Brazil, parties play a less central role than in Germany. The political party landscape is very fragmented.
The newly elected government under President Jair Bolsonaro took office on January 1, 2019. Seven former soldiers are represented in the cabinet, almost a third of the cabinet. Bolsonaro has announced that the fight against corruption and crime and the stimulation of the economy will be the focus of his policy. Brazil is facing major challenges: revelations from the legal processing of numerous bribery scandals in which high-ranking politicians are involved, as well as a severe economic crisis, have led to great dissatisfaction among the population in recent years. President Bolsonaro has announced an extensive program to solve the pressing problems (source: Federal Foreign Office).
Business information
Brazil is the ninth largest economy in the world. The per capita income is approximately $ 8,650 . The Brazilian economy shows a relatively high degree of diversification. Around 69 percent of gross value added is generated in the service sector, around 25 percent in industry and around 6 percent of GDP share in agriculture.
Up until a few years ago, high growth rates and solid employment growth significantly increased global economic interest in Brazil. Thanks to high global raw material prices, rising wages and improved access to consumer credit, GDP rose sharply.
When the end of the economic boom announced a few years ago in the face of falling commodity prices, rising private sector debt and very low productivity, the government tried to artificially keep economic growth high by increasing government spending. However, the growth of the economy slowed significantly, in 2015 and 2016 Brazil’s GDP contracted.
Trade with Germany
Brazil’s foreign trade balance is positive (imports $ 137 billion versus exports of $ 185 billion in 2016). German imports from Brazil in 2016 amounted to around 8 billion euros. The most important German import goods from Basel are raw materials (33 percent) and food (30 percent). German exports to Brazil have declined slightly in recent years (from a value of 10.4 billion euros in 2014 to 8.5 billion euros in 2016). The three most important German export goods are machinery (21.9 percent), chemical products (10.5 percent) and motor vehicles and motor vehicleParts (10.4 percent). From a Brazilian perspective, Germany ranks third among the main supplier countries with a share of 6.6 percent, behind the USA (17.9 percent) and China (17.0 percent) and just ahead of Argentina (6.6 percent). Brazil ranks 30th for German exports and 26th for German imports (source: Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI): Brazil Economic Data Compact, November 2017).