What do we know about wealth inequality in Brazil?

The concentration of wealth has been gaining importance in the internationaldebate after the publication of Capital in the 21st century, by Thomas Piketty, which collect-ed systematic data on the dimension and evolution of the phenomenon in advanced economiesover the last few centuries. In particular, Piketty’s research reveals an important contractionin wealth inequality throughout the 20th century, which, however, is not sustainedin the first decades of the 21st century. What do we know about the levels and historic trajectoryof wealth inequality in Brazil, one of the most unequal countries in the world? Thisarticle investigates the available estimates on the concentration of wealth in the countrystarting in the 17th century. The review is organized based on the different sources and approachesused to construct the estimates. Two conclusions stand out: a) the concentration ofwealth presents extreme levels and notable stability over time, despite a profound transformationin the relative importance of assets; b) all available estimates have significant limitations.The availability of adequate public data, together with the improvement of proceduresalready applied, is essential for the development of literature on wealth inequality in thecountry and effective public engagement with the question. JEL Classification: D31; D63; E01.