Numbers of the week: Jan. 11, 2020

This is Brazil by the Numbers, a weekly digest of the most interesting figures tucked inside the latest news about Brazil. Random numbers that help explain what is going on in Brazil. This week: inflation, gun violence in Rio, a mysterious poisoning, industrial performance, and the “Brazil price tag.”

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4.31-percent inflation

Propelled by meat prices—which have increased due to growing demand from China—Brazil’s official inflation rate for 2019 closed at 4.31 percent, above both market predictions (4.13% percent) and the government’s target (4.25 percent).

One worrisome piece of data for the government is the hike in fuel prices:

• Ethanol: 9.85 percent;
• Diesel: 5.85 percent;
• Gasoline: 4.03 percent.

The government is worried that more expensive fuel could spark a new truckers’ strike, in the molds of the one that halted Brazil for 11 days in 2018.

The 2019 inflation is the highest annual rate since 2016, when it reached 6.29 percent. However, despite being above the target, inflation remained within the government’s...