Brazil

Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, has become a leading economic power in the region. The quality of life and healthcare are relatively high for the region, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Reports rank Brazil 69th of 177 countries on general quality-of-life issues. According to the constitution adopted in 1988, the government of Brazil is required to provide health-care under the Unified Health System (SUS) and must adhere to specific guidelines and principles. In practice, the national government has shifted most of the responsibility for healthcare to municipalities. Six percent of all national government expenses are directed toward meeting the goals of SUS. Approximately 7.6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is spent on healthcare, and the government allots $597 (international dollars) per capita for such expenses. The private sector is responsible for most of the healthcare funding in Brazil, providing 54.7 percent of total expenditures. Out-of-pocket expenses account for 64.20 percent of private expenses. The government furnishes 45.3 percent of total health spending, but none of that amount is set aside for social security. There are 1.15 physicians, 3.84 nurses, 1.11 dentists, and 0.30 pharmacists per 1,000 population in Brazil.

Vast income disparities persist, and Brazil is ranked 59.7 on the Gini index of human inequality. The richest segment of the population claims almost a third of the country's resources, leaving less than 1 percent for the poorest segment. With a per capita income of $8,300, Brazil ranks 96th in world incomes. However, Brazil has the fourth highest income in Latin America, outranked by Chile ($11,900), Costa Rica ($11,400), and Mexico ($10,000). Because of the vast inequality, over a fifth of Brazil's population lives in poverty. Much of the poverty is found among the 20 percent of the workforce that are engaged in agriculture, chiefly at the subsistence level. Nearly 10 percent of the labor force is unemployed.

More than 86 percent of Brazil's population is literate. Around 95 percent of all children are enrolled in primary school; yet, only 50 percent of females and 42 percent of males regularly attend secondary school. While 96 percent of urban residents have sustained access to safe drinking water, only 58 percent of rural residents are able to meet this basic need. Among urban residents, 83 percent have access to improved sanitation, but that number plummets to 35 percent among rural residents.

Brazilians have a life expectancy of 77.97 years, and females outlive males by an average of eight years. On the average, each Brazilian woman produces 1.91 children. Some 77 percent of adult women use birth control. Consequently, the fertility rate dropped from 5 children to 2.8 children per woman between 1970 and 2004. Skilled professionals attend 96 percent of all [Page 299]births, and 86 percent of women receive prenatal care. Brazil's adjusted maternal mortality rate is 260 deaths per 100,000 live births. In 1993, the government launched the National Program for Complete Care for Women's Health, targeting prevention, diagnosis, and recuperation. Brazilian women's groups have faulted the program and are engaged in developing a new plan designed to be more comprehensive and effective.

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