1. Brazil is back in the ranking of most attractive countries for investments

Brazil is once again back among the 25 most attractive countries for investments, according to the Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, by Kearney Consulting. The index shows investment perspectives for the next three years. The better the position in the ranking of countries, the more likely it is that executives will invest in the country.

The index is compiled from interviews with executives of companies with an annual revenue equal or above USD 500 million, including companies located in over 30 countries and many different industries. The United States, as the main global economy, leads the ranking, followed by Canada, China, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

G1: Brasil volta a ranking de 25 países mais atrativos para investimentos

2. Brazil will become the 8th largest economy in the world in 2024

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its prediction for the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (IMF) for 2024. According to the report by the World Economic Outlook, the estimate is a 2.2% growth instead of the 1.7% predicted previously. If the IMF’s estimates are confirmed, Brazil will climb positions in the ranking of world economies, going from 9th to 8th place.

The report describes the 2.2% growth as moderate, led by the fiscal consolidation reflected by the current economic policies. For 2025, the growth projection for Brazil is 2.1% and the IMF suggests the country will remain in 8th place until 2029, the last year for which the organ made projections.

Estadão: Brasil deve subir para 8ª posição no ranking das maiores economias do mundo em 2024, prevê FMI
UOL: Brasil deve ser a 8ª maior economia do mundo em 2024, prevê FMI

3. Brazil has nearly 1.9 million cases of dengue; record high will impact public health and the economy

In less than three months, Brazil registered a record number of dengue fever cases, with a total of nearly 1.9 million people infected in 2024 according to data from the Ministry of Health. During the first 11 weeks of the year, there were 1,889,206 confirmed and estimated cases. In the same period of 2023, there were 400,197 cases registered.

The federal government also reported 561 deaths by dengue in 2024 and 1,020 are under investigation. The Health Surveillance Secretariat in the Ministry said that the country could register a total of 4.2 million cases in 2024, which will certainly impact the public health system and the national economy.

Terra: Brasil bate recorde com quase 1,9 milhão de casos de dengue

4. Nearly 90% of salary adjustments are above inflation rates in March

With inflation rates under control, the vast majority of Brazilian workers who negotiated salary adjustments managed to obtain real gains, which means a salary increase above the increase in prices overall. In March, these results were the reality for 89% of the deals. Taking into consideration the previous 12 months, 83% of the deals were successful. This information was revealed by research by the Institute of Economic Research Foundation (FIPE), which was published on Thursday (25), taking the inflation rate measured by the National Consumer Price Index (INPC) as a standard.

Considering the sectors that registered the largest salary increases from January to March, the collective meals sector stood out with an average salary increase of 3.8% (after adjusting for inflation). The sectors of urban cleaning and conservation, condominiums and buildings, and bars, restaurants, hotels, and tourism came in second place with a total increase of 3.3%.

Istoé: Quase 90% dos reajustes salariais superaram a inflação em março, aponta Fipe

5. Entrance of foreign tourists in Brazil registers a record high in March

In March 2024, Brazil witnessed a historic milestone in the arrival of foreign tourists, recording the highest number for the month since the beginning of the survey maintained by the Brazilian Tourism Company, Embratur: more than 740,000 people from different nations visited the country, representing an increase of 16% compared to March 2018, when the total was 728 thousand visitors.

Both Embratur and the Ministry of Tourism celebrated the results and highlighted the potential economic benefits of tourism in the country. In 2023 alone, tourists visiting Brazil injected R$ 34.5 billion into the country’s economy.  

Nexo: Entrada de turistas estrangeiros no Brasil é recorde em março