Families with an income of up to BRL 210 per person, who are entitled to the Aid, were 6.7 million in 2021

In 2021, 9.2% of Brazilian households had an income per person (per capita) of up to R$210 per month, the value of the poverty line for a family to qualify to be served by Auxílio Brasil. The percentage corresponded to almost 6.7 million homes in a universe of 72.2 million.

In terms of number of people, almost 22.3 million were in poverty (10.5% of the total population), indicates a survey by researcher André Salata, coordinator of the PUCRS Data Social study laboratory.

Made at the request of Sheet, the clipping uses microdata from Pnad Contínua with annual clipping. This version of the Pnad, released by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), goes beyond the job market and includes other sources of income, including social programs.

On Tuesday (4), the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government announced that it will eliminate the Auxílio Brasil queue, with the inclusion of about 500,000 families by the end of October. The new beneficiaries will be covered before the 30th, when the second round of the presidential elections takes place.

The government has accelerated the granting of benefits in this second round. Behind former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the first round, Bolsonaro seeks votes from low-income voters to try to turn the final stretch of the dispute.

With the measure, 21.1 million families should receive the benefit this month. In December 2021, before the increase in the value to R$ 600, the number was 14.5 million, according to data from a federal government panel.

That is, when it reaches 21.1 million, the increase will be about 6.6 million this year. It is the approximate number that, according to PNAD microdata, was still below the poverty line in 2021.

According to the criteria of Auxílio Brasil, families are in a situation of poverty when their monthly income per person is between R$ 105.01 and R$ 210. Those who receive up to R$ 105 per person are in extreme poverty.

According to the survey produced by Salata, 5.3% of the country’s households had a per capita income of up to R$105 per month in 2021. The percentage corresponded to 3.8 million homes in the universe of 72.2 million. The population in extreme poverty was 11.9 million people last year, equivalent to 5.6% of the total.

Both poverty and extreme poverty jumped in the country last year, according to the survey. The percentage of households with per capita income of up to R$210 rose from 6% in 2020 to 9.2% in 2021, according to inflation-adjusted values.

In absolute numbers, the number of homes in this condition increased from 4.3 million to 6.7 million. The increase was 2.4 million.

Extreme poverty increased from 3.8% to 5.3% of households from 2020 to 2021. In absolute terms, the number grew from 2.7 million to 3.8 million, an increase of 1.1 million.

The dynamics of emergency aid last year helps to explain the picture, says Salata. Payment of the benefit came to a halt in early 2021. Then it was resumed, but with family coverage and reduced amounts.

For the researcher, the lines chosen by Auxílio Brasil are low. “They are austere, they do not fully measure the size of poverty.”

In recent studies, Salata used PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) criteria adopted by the World Bank. According to these criteria, in 2021 values, converted into reais, the poverty line would be around R$465 per capita per month. The extreme poverty measure would be around R$ 160 per capita per month.

For the researcher, income transfer policies, such as Auxílio Brasil, should take into account issues such as targeting – a concept that adapts benefits to different profiles and needs of the families served.

“The first issue is to think about the sustainability of the program. We cannot think about income transfers according to the electoral calendar. It is necessary to assess sustainability”, he says.