The country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2021 and ended the year with a growth of 4.6%, totaling R$ 8.7 trillion. This advance recovered the losses of 2020, when the Brazilian economy shrank 3.9% due to the pandemic. the GDP per capita reached R$ 40,688 last year, an increase of 3.9% in relation to the previous year (-4.6%).
GDP, the sum of final goods and services produced in the country, is 0.5% above the fourth quarter of 2019, the pre-covid-19 pandemic period, but remains 2.8% below the highest point of economic activity in the series. record, achieved in the first quarter of 2014.
The data are from the System of Quarterly National Accounts, released today (4) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
According to the survey, economic growth was driven by increases in services (4.7%) and industry (4.5%), which together represent 90% of the country’s GDP. On the other hand, agriculture fell by 0.2% last year.
According to the coordinator of National Accounts at IBGE, Rebeca Palis, all activities that make up the services grew in 2021, especially transport, storage and mail (11.4%). According to her, passenger transport also rose a lot, especially at the end of the year, with people returning to travel.
“The information and communication activity (12.3%) also advanced, driven by the internet and the development of systems. This activity had already been growing before, but with social isolation and all the changes caused by the pandemic, this process intensified, making the activity grow even more”, said, in a note, Rebeca Palis.
Other service activities (7.6%) also increased in the period. “These are activities related to face-to-face services, part of the economy that was most affected by the pandemic, but which has recovered again, driven by the families’ own demand for this type of service”, added the researcher.
Trade (5.5%), real estate activities (2.2%), administration, defense, public health and education and social security (1.5%) and financial, insurance and related services (0.7%) also grew ).
According to the IBGE, in the industry, the positive highlight was the performance of construction, which, after falling 6.3% in 2020, rose 9.7% in 2021.
“Manufacturing industries (4.5%), with greater weight in the sector, also grew, influenced mainly by the increase in the manufacturing of machinery and equipment; metallurgy; manufacturing of other transport equipment; manufacture of non-metallic mineral products; and automotive industry. The extractive industries advanced 3% due to the increase in the extraction of iron ore”, informed the IBGE.
The only activity that did not grow was electricity, gas, water, sewage, waste management, which had a negative variation of 0.1%, which indicates stability. “The water crisis negatively affected the performance of the activity in 2021”, explained Rebeca Palis.
