9 in 10 Brazilian families have struggled with pricey power bills

Welcome to “Number of the Week,” where we choose a single figure that helps understand what is going on in Brazil. This week, we show that 90 percent of Brazilian families suffered at least “a little” with more expensive gas and power bills last year.

46%

of families spent at least half of their income on power bills

The increase in electricity bills over the past year in Brazil – due to a serious water crisis that hindered hydropower in the country – has led to alarming impacts on average Brazilians’ household budgets. According to a survey carried out by market research company Ipec at the behest of the Climate and Society Institute (iCS), nine out of 10 Brazilian families reported they have suffered at least “a little” with more expensive power and gas bills.

The survey, which interviewed 2,002 Brazilians over 16 years of age from all regions of the country, found that for a whopping 46 percent of Brazilian families, expenditure on power and gas already eats up at least half their monthly income. For 10 percent of families, almost the entirety of their income needs to be reserved for power bills, leaving almost nothing for other...