Brazil: Expense (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Brazil's expense (current LCU) rose 11.3% on 2022 (from 3.19 trillion to 3.55 trillion).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2022), the average change was +9.6% and a typical year strayed about 7.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 20.3% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 177.14 billion a year. A straight line explains 90% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Brazil had the 22nd highest value of the 80 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Brazil in the 2023 ranking

• Kenya — 18th of 80: 4.19 trillion
• Philippines — 19th of 80: 4.1 trillion
• Thailand — 20th of 80: 3.73 trillion
• Rwanda — 22nd of 80: 3.09 trillion
• Burkina Faso — 23rd of 80: 2.39 trillion
• Armenia — 24th of 80: 1.99 trillion

What this measures

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 14 values

Expense (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 40.42 trillion (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 3.11 billion (2023)
• Barbados — 3.27 billion (2016)
• Belize — 1.01 billion (2017)
• Chile — 69.28 trillion (2023)
• Colombia — 528.23 trillion (2023)
• Costa Rica — 13.6 trillion (2023)
• Dominican Republic — 1.22 trillion (2023)
• Ecuador — 35.35 billion (2022)
• El Salvador — 9.37 billion (2023)
• Guatemala — 110.36 billion (2023)
• Honduras

More public sector data for Brazil

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 462 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 23.95 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 134 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.05% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 153 million (2025)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 3.92 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 34.66 (2023)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 19.28 (2023)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 762,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Brazil's expense (current LCU)?

3.55 trillion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2010?

It is up 225.5% from 1.09 trillion in 2010 (9.5% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3.55 trillion in 2023 and the lowest 1.09 trillion in 2010.

How does Brazil rank?

22nd highest of 80 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in expense (current LCU) unusual for Brazil?

In 2023, Brazil's expense (current LCU) rose 11.3% on 2022 (from 3.19 trillion to 3.55 trillion). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2022), the average change was +9.6% and a typical year strayed about 7.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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