ECONOMIC INFORMATION

Population: 176.6m

Population growth: 1.2%

Population density (people per sq. km): 21

UN Human Development Index ranking: 72/177

Gross national income (current US$): $478.9bn (2003)

Gross national income per capita: $2,710

PPP Gross national income: $1,321.7bn

PPP Gross national income per capita: $7,480

GDP growth: -1.4% (2003)

GDP breakdown Agriculture: 6.0%, Industry: 20.7%, Services: 73.4%

Inflation (12-month average): 12.8 (2003)

Gross capital formation as % of GDP: 20.0%

Final consumption expenditure as % of GDP (growth): 78.0% (-4.3%)

Exports of goods & services as % of GDP: 15.5%

Top 3 export markets: US, Argentina, Germany

Local industries: Textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles & parts, other machinery & equipment

WEF Growth Competitiveness ranking * : 57/104

WEF Business Competitiveness ranking ** : 38/103

WEF Quality of the Business Environment ranking: 44/103

Transparency International Corruption Perceptions ranking: 59/145

Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

FDI INFORMATION

Region: South America

No. of projects (Jan-Sep 2004): 508

Market-share of projects in the region: 50.4% Value of projects relative to GDP: 10.3%

Top 3 destination sectors: Food & drink, chemicals, metals/mining

Top 3 business functions: Manufacturing, retail, construction

Top 3 source countries: US, France, Germany

Top 3 investors: Alcoa, Arabian Gulf Oil, Arcelor

IPA

Name: Investe Brasil

Web address: www.investebrasil.org.br

* World Economic Forum Growth Competitiveness Ranking assesses an economy’s ability to grow consistently

** World Economic Forum Business Competitiveness Ranking assesses the microeconomic factors that contribute to economic growth

*** The difficulty of hiring workers and the difficulty and expense of firing workers is reflected as an index where the higher the value the more rigid the regulations