Brazil

Brazil

South America

South America
63
Overall score
Moderate overall
Language
Portuguese
Currency
BRL
Citizenship
4 years (1 if married/with child)
Personal tax
0–27.5%
Cost of living
$1,000 / mo (single)

Latin America's largest economy and tech market, with an investor residency route, a digital-nomad visa and a fast citizenship path for those with a Brazilian spouse or child, tempered by complex taxes and regional safety issues.

Pros

  • Big domestic market & tech scene
  • Fast citizenship via spouse/child
  • Investor visa + digital-nomad visa

Cons

  • Very complex tax system
  • Regional security concerns
  • Portuguese essential

Best for

Founders targeting LatAmFamily-route applicantsInvestors & nomads

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
90
Citizenship
72
Residence
28
Money & business
Taxes
48
Corporate tax
3
Business
30
Investment
45
Economy
68
Wealth building
51
Living, study & work
Education
77
Salary & work
59
Cost of living
79
Buying power
64
Quality of life
Safety
28
Healthcare
68
Infrastructure
68
HDI
79

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Excellent
90

Passport-index style mobility for the Brazil passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

178 / 198
Mobility
#16
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free128
  • On arrival42
  • eTA8
  • Visa required20

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Good
72
Years required4 years (reduced to 1 with a Brazilian spouse or child)
Dual allowedtrue
LanguagePortuguese proficiency
ResidenceContinuous legal residence for the qualifying period
NotesChildren born in Brazil are citizens by birth (jus soli), which also shortens parents' path.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Low
28
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock0.7% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality-0.29 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
Investor residency (BRL 500k)Digital NomadFamilyWork/study
StudentStudent residency; public universities free.
WorkWork authorisation tied to a local employer/contract.
Self-employedMEI/Simples Nacional regimes for small businesses.
PermanentPermanent residency via investment, family, or retirement.

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Moderate
48
Personal0–27.5% progressive
Corporate34% combined (IRPJ 15% + 10% surtax + CSLL 9%)
Capital gains15–22.5% progressive
DividendsCurrently exempt at shareholder level (reform under discussion)
Exit taxYes: deemed disposal on definitive departure declaration
Foreign cosCFC-style rules tax foreign-controlled profits
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Moderate
50
Personal0–27.5% progressive
FreelanceMEI (micro-entrepreneur) and Simples Nacional simplified regimes
Capital gains15–22.5% progressive
DividendsCurrently exempt at shareholder level (reform under discussion)
Exit taxYes: deemed disposal on definitive departure declaration
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Low
3
Corporate34% combined (IRPJ 15% + 10% surtax + CSLL 9%)
Capital gains15–22.5% progressive
DividendsCurrently exempt at shareholder level (reform under discussion)
Foreign cosCFC-style rules tax foreign-controlled profits
Business
Business friendliness
Limited
30
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality-0.29 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness-0.22 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Yes: foreign ownership permitted
Local co.Ltda. or S.A.; registration can be bureaucratic
FreelanceMEI (micro-entrepreneur) and Simples Nacional simplified regimes
Corporate tax34% combined (IRPJ 15% + 10% surtax + CSLL 9%)
Capital gains15–22.5% progressive
Exit taxYes: deemed disposal on definitive departure declaration
Foreign cosCFC-style rules tax foreign-controlled profits
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Moderate
45
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap30% of GDP (2024)
Private credit76% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gains15–22.5% CGT; dividends currently untaxed at investor level
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxNone (proposals discussed periodically)
BrokersStrong: XP, Nubank/NuInvest, Interactive Brokers
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Good
68
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$2.2T (2024)
GDP / person$10,311 (2024)
GNI / person$21,590 PPP (2024)
GDP growth3.4% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation4.4% / yr (2024)
Unemployment6.0% (2025)
Output per worker$41,441 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture5.8% of GDP (2024)
Industry20.9% of GDP (2024)
Services59.2% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
Agriculture & agribusinessMiningOil & gasManufacturingFinancial servicesTechnology
Top exports
SoybeansIron oreCrude oilBeef & poultrySugar & coffee
TypeUpper-middle-income, diversified resources- and services-led
Key sectorsAgribusiness, Mining & energy, Sao Paulo finance & fintech
SummaryLatin America's largest economy, a commodity and agribusiness giant with a sizeable industrial and fintech base.
CurrencyBrazilian real
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Moderate
51
How this score is calculated

How favourable Brazil is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Moderate
52
Business
Limited
34
Investment
Moderate
50
Tax friendliness
Moderate
48
Cost of living
Good
79

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Good
77
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling15.8 years (2023)
Mean schooling8.4 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment70% gross (2024)
Education spending5.6% of GDP (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

TuitionFree public / ~$4,000 private
Public uniFederal/state universities tuition-free (competitive entry)
LanguagesPortuguese, English (some graduate programs)
Student workWork permitted for resident students
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Moderate
59
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$41,441 PPP (2024)
Unemployment6.0% (2025)
Participation63.1% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$371 · $852 PPP (2024)
Tech (IT & comms)$612 · $1,373 PPP (2024)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceLarge dev market; nearshoring for US clients growing
Job marketSão Paulo fintech & startup hub (Nubank, iFood); strong talent pool.
Cost of living
Affordability
Good
79

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level47 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent$400–900 (1BR major city)
Monthly$1,000
CitiesSão Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis, Curitiba
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Moderate
64
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$21,590 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$14,076 PPP (2024)
Price level47 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality50.3 Gini (2024)
Inflation4.4% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Low
28
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate19.3 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law-0.45 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption-0.41 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability-0.52 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Good
68
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy76.0 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality14.2 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians2.36 per 1,000 (2023)
Hospital beds2.52 per 1,000 (2021)
Health spending$2,070 PPP / person (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemUniversal public (SUS) + large private sector
InsuranceFree SUS access; private plans common for speed/quality
Avg costPrivate plan ~$80–250 / mo
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Good
68
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use84.5% (2024)
Internet resilience67 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed89 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed86 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access99.8% (2023)
Grid losses15.0% of output (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality3.20 / 5 (2022)
Rail density3.9 km / 1,000 km² (2007)
Air connectivity3,734 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Good
79
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.786 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy75.8 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling15.8 years (2023)
Mean schooling8.4 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$18,011 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Official references and quick links for Brazil. Always confirm against the primary source before acting.

Official references
Quick links

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any immigration, tax or legal decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.