Overview

• An estimated 28.5 million people report living in neighborhoods with criminal factions or militias, according to a Datafolha survey for the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety.
• Reports are concentrated in state capitals, large cities, and the Northeast, with 23% of Black respondents affected versus 13% of white respondents.
• One in five respondents (21%) said off-duty police offer private security in their neighborhoods, a practice banned in most states.
• Sixteen percent said they witnessed violent Military Police actions, up from 14% in 2024, with higher rates among young people and big-city residents.
• Among those living near criminal groups, 27% reported knowledge of clandestine cemeteries and 40% said they see open drug-use areas on daily routes.