In Brazil, 17% of richest are black

From 2005 to 2015, the number of black people among the richest Brazilian increased from 11.4% to 17.8%. Nonetheless, the white population is still the majority. Eight out of every ten Brazilians are among the 1% richest portion of the population. On the other hand, among the poorest, three of every four are black. Over half of the Brazilian population (54%) is made up of people who are black or pardo (seen in the same category as “black”). Of every ten people, three are black women.

The data were released Friday (Dec. 2) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in the Summary of Social Indicators – An Analysis of the Living Conditions of the Brazilian Population

Difficulties

According to the IBGE, the figures have to do with education, to which the black population is not given access as easily. In 2015, even though the number of blacks at the university doubled, driven by affirmative actions, a mere 12.8% of them went to university, whereas whites in an undergraduate program reached 26.5% of the total in the same year.

The difficulties faced by blacks struggling to go to university come as a result of elevated school dropout rates observed as early as elementary and middle school, due to high failure rates. Living conditions, however, do not make getting an education any easier.

The IBGE survey further reveals that black and pardo people are more likely to live in precarious homes with no simultaneous access to water, sewage treatment, and garbage collection. In over half of the homes, blacks also do not have a washing machine, found in three of every 10 white people's homes.

Improvements

Despite the inequalities, the IBGE says these conditions saw an improvement in recent years. With regards to sanitation, the percentage of black homes served went up  from 44.2% to 55.3%, compared to a rise from 64.8% to 71.9% for whites. The institute also highlighted that lighting has been universalized, and now reaches 99.96% of the country. In 2015, the coverage totaled 83.5% of homes, most of which in urban areas.

According to André Simões, an IBGE specialist, unequal access to services and quality education—as is the case with private education, where failure rates are lower—reflects structural issues dating back to the country's colonial days. For the quality of life of Brazilians to improve as a whole, Simões argues for public policies directed at the underprivileged.

“The black or pardo population have had their access to health care and education expanded, but there's a significant historical heritage, which means that public policies should continue to focus this group,” he said. “A country like Brazil needs specific measures to redress this inequality, which is a point that should always be stressed.”

Despite the small gap, the proportion of blacks living on rent, in donated houses or an analogous condition is larger than its white counterpart.

Poverty

Among the younger section of the population, the study highlights that, due to a deterioration in the economic scenario from 2014 to 2015, the percentage of children aged four or younger living on up to $64, a fourth of the minimal wage, has increased from 15.2% to 17.6%. Nonetheless, the situation is better than it was in 2005, when nearly four of every ten children in this age group lived on approximately $57.

The Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA) classifies as families living under extreme poverty those families with less than a fourth of the minimum wage per capita. The improvement in the living conditions of these children—mostly black or pardo—is related to a real increase in salaries and cash transfer initiatives, according to a report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), mentioned by the IBGE.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira