IBGE Census Details Infrastructure Gaps in 12,348 Brazilian Favelas

Overview

• The survey maps 12,348 favelas housing about 16.3 million people, or 8.1% of Brazil’s population, across 656 municipalities.
• Roughly 3.1 million residents (19%) live on stretches accessible only by foot, motorcycle or bicycle, limiting garbage collection and ambulance access, while just 62% live on streets that accommodate large vehicles.
• More than half of residents (54.6%) are on road segments without storm drains, and IBGE notes the data record only the presence of features, not whether they function.
• Nearly two-thirds (64.6%) live on streets with no trees, a heat- and flood-risk concern highlighted as Brazil launched a National Urban Arborization Plan during COP30.
• Sidewalks are absent for 46.1% of residents and entirely unobstructed for only 3.8%, and just 5.2% live on stretches with a nearby bus or van stop.