According to data released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), based on the parameters of the World Bank (WB), the number of Brazilians in a poverty situation grew from 52,8 million in 2016 to 54,8 million in 2017, under the government of unelected President Michel Temer.

The IBGE found an increase in poverty rates in the South American Country between 2016 and 2017, according to the Institute during the presentation of the Synthesis of Social Indicators (SIS). "The proportion of poor people in Brazil was 25.7% of the population in 2016 and rose to 26.5% in 2017." The proportion of children, from 0 to 14 years old, that are under the poverty line "increased from 42.9% to 43.4% in the same period."

"In absolute numbers, this contingent ranged from 52.8 million to 54.8 million people," stated the IBGE. These measures are based on the parameters of the WB, and represent people who have an "income up to $ 5.5 per day." Just the number of people in a poverty situation in Brazil, is higher than the total population of other countries such as Colombia, Argentina or Spain.

On the other hand, the number of people in an extreme poverty situation, which means an "income under $1,90 per day," also grew considerably between 2016 and 2017. This population stratum "represented 6.6% of the country's population in 2016, compared to 7.4% in 2017."

"In absolute terms, this number increased from 13.5 million in 2016 to 15.2 million in 2017," stated the IBGE, also an increase of almost 2 million people in one year of neoliberal economic policies.

This data comes from a country with the highest inequality rates in the world. According to the IBGE, "by 2017, the top 10 percent of the country's highest incomes (from all sources) accounted for 43.1 percent of the total income, while the bottom 40 percent accounted for only 12.3 percent."

In a Brazil 13,6 percent of Black People and Mestizos, are among the 10 percent poorest, "however, only 4.7% of them were among the 10 percent with higher incomes."

In accordance with this important increase in poverty, Brazil is also undergoing an important increase in unemployment. "The unemployment rate was 6.9% in 2014 and rose to 12.5% in 2017. This is equivalent to 6.2 million more unemployed people between 2014 and 2017," according to the year's SIS. "In 2017, informal work reached 37.3 million people, representing 40.8% of the employed population, or two out of five workers in the country." Both formal and informal occupations decreased in Brazil, adding to the difficulties that poor people face.