Poor Brazilians Would Need to Live Nine Generations to Reach the Middle Class
Social mobility in Brazil is one of the most restricted in the world, according to a study
Aug.14.2023 1:43PM
Daniele Madureira
SÃO PAULO
One of the greatest pride of Adalberto Gonçalves Júnior, 36, is seeing his son Jhonatan, 15, studying at Colégio Mackenzie, one of the most traditional schools in São Paulo.
Júnior's pleasure is not restricted to the fact that his only son is studying at a prestigious institution. It's because, when he was Jhonatan's age, Júnior lived close to Mackenzie's – but on the street. Today, alongside his wife, Joyce, 34, he runs his own street food business.
The example of the former homeless person who became a businessman is a very rare case in the Brazilian social pyramid. According to a study by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), Brazilians who are among the poorest 10% of the population would take nine generations –or 180 years– to reach the middle class in the country.
The 2018 study analyzes the number of generations that the poorest population of 24 countries that make up the OECD needs to go through to reach the middle class. The result points from two generations in Denmark to seven in Hungary, with an average of 4.5 generations between countries.
The survey also analyzed the time required for the poorest 10% of emerging countries to reach the middle class: with nine generations, Brazil is second only to Colombia (11).
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/business/2023/08/poor-brazilians-would-need-to-live-nine-generations-to-reach-the-middle-class.shtml