Presenting the Favelas Dados dataset, a bird’s-eye view of Brazilian favelas and urban communities

Using newly available data from the 2022 Brazilian Census, combined with administrative and geospatial sources, this paper provides a national overview of living conditions in Brazilian favelas and urban communities. We document large and persistent disparities between favela residents and other urban populations in terms of income, education, access to basic sanitation, and urban infrastructure. Favela dwellers are less likely to have access to adequate water, sewage, waste collection, and neighborhood-level amenities such as paved streets, public lighting, and accessible sidewalks. These infrastructural deficits are associated with reduced access to employment, education, healthcare, and social assistance opportunities, particularly in cities where public transport travel-time estimates are available. Beyond socioeconomic deprivation, we show that exposure to environmental hazards is widespread. Together, the results show how informal urbanization in Brazil systematically concentrates social disadvantage, limited access to opportunities, and environmental vulnerability, deepening long-standing spatial inequalities within cities.