Indicator

Real minimum wage

Minimum wage adjusted for inflation (INPC), in reais of constant purchasing power; average of the 12 months of each year.

Research current through October 13, 2026
Last reviewed October 13, 2026

Unit: constant R$
Population: Workers whose pay is tied to the minimum wage
Territory: Brazil
Frequency: Annual (average of monthly values)
Desirable direction: Higher is better
Values: 2026 reais, deflator INPC (IBGE), reais do mês mais recente da série no Ipeadata (2026-09)

Comparisons

The start and end points always come from the same series. The rule for choosing the years is given next to each comparison.

2002 → 2010: 797 → 1,253 constant R$ (+57.3%).
Series: Real minimum wage, annual average. Rule: Last year before the first term (2002) and last full year of the second (2010), in the same series.
2022 → 2025: 1,447 → 1,597 constant R$ (+10.4%).
Series: Real minimum wage, annual average. Rule: Last year before the third term (2022) and last full year available, in the same series.

Real minimum wage, annual average

Arithmetic mean of the 12 monthly values of the Ipea series (calculation by this archive). Incomplete years are left as not available. Values in September 2026 reais: the base changes with each update, so the whole series is extracted on the same date.

Methodology sheet (checked against the official metadata)

Variable: GAC12_SALMINRE12: Real minimum wage
Unit in the source: R$ (of the last month)
Territory: Brazil
Population: Value of the national minimum wage
Frequency in the source: Monthly
Annual value: Average of the 12 months calculated by this archive
Values: reais
Seasonal adjustment: no
Revisions: The base (reais of the last month) changes with each update of the series.
Metadata: official lookup (checked on 2026-10-14)

Real minimum wage, annual average. Source: Ipea (Ipeadata), based on the nominal minimum wage and the INPC/IBGE (Ipeadata GAC12_SALMINRE12), extracted on 2026-10-13. Hollow points: preliminary or partial data. Shaded bands, bounded by dashed lines: years of Lula's terms in office (also marked in the table).

Table with all values (32 periods)

Real minimum wage, annual average (constant R$)
Period	Value	Status	Term in office that year
1995	613	revised	other government
1996	640	revised	other government
1997	656	revised	other government
1998	682	revised	other government
1999	688	revised	other government
2000	712	revised	other government
2001	777	revised	other government
2002	797	revised	other government
2003	802	revised	Lula 1
2004	832	revised	Lula 1
2005	890	revised	Lula 1
2006	1,015	revised	Lula 1
2007	1,076	revised	Lula 2
2008	1,109	revised	Lula 2
2009	1,190	revised	Lula 2
2010	1,253	revised	Lula 2
2011	1,254	revised	other government
2012	1,360	revised	other government
2013	1,393	revised	other government
2014	1,403	revised	other government
2015	1,397	revised	other government
2016	1,427	revised	other government
2017	1,475	revised	other government
2018	1,460	revised	other government
2019	1,472	revised	other government
2020	1,487	revised	other government
2021	1,438	revised	other government
2022	1,447	revised	other government
2023	1,506	revised	Lula 3
2024	1,557	revised	Lula 3
2025	1,597	revised	Lula 3
2026	not available	not available	Lula 3

Download CSV · Original query (Ipeadata GAC12_SALMINRE12)

Context and interpretation

Ipea's real minimum wage series deflates the nominal minimum wage by the INPC since April 1979 and is expressed in constant reais of the last month.^[1]

The nominal minimum wage went from R$200.00 (March 2003) to R$240.00 (April 2003).^[2]

Sources and evidence

Excerpts are quoted in the original language of the source.

1. Ipea's real minimum wage series deflates the nominal minimum wage by the INPC since April 1979 and is expressed in constant reais of the last month.
- Ipeadata – Metadados da série GAC12_SALMINRE12 (Salário mínimo real) · Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) Official statistics
  Where: field SERCOMENTARIO, Notes, paragraph 2. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “Série em reais (R$) constantes do último mês, elaborada pelo Ipea, deflacionando-se o salário mínimo nominal pelos seguintes índices:”
- Ipeadata – Metadados da série GAC12_SALMINRE12 (Salário mínimo real) · Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) Official statistics
  Where: field SERCOMENTARIO, deflator table, last row. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “abr/1979-atual \r\n INPC”
2. The nominal minimum wage went from R$200.00 (March 2003) to R$240.00 (April 2003).
- BCB SGS série 1619 – Salário mínimo · Central Bank of Brazil Official statistics
  Where: SGS 1619, dates 03/01/2003 and 04/01/2003. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  “[{"data":"01/03/2003","valor":"200.00"},{"data":"01/04/2003","valor":"240.00"},{"data":"01/05/2003","valor":"240.00"}]”