Salaries of politicians and judges in Brazil exceed the average income of the population by more than 20 times.

Brazil ranks among the worst in the world for pay inequality between high-ranking government officials and the general public, according to data from the 2025 Pay Gap Index, compiled by the Livres group and released this week. The study reveals that presidents, representatives, and federal judges earn more than 20 times the average Brazilian salary.

According to the survey, while the national per capita household income in 2024 was R$2,069, politicians in the Executive and Legislative branches received R$44,000, and federal judges reached an average of R$46,000, a value that exceeds the constitutional ceiling of R$44,000 (in force in 2024) when perks are included – the sum reaches R$84,000.

"The Brazilian disparity is approximately 108% higher than the global average, even when compared to countries with similar levels of income, development, or institutional challenges," said Magno Karl, executive director of Grupo Livres, noting that this issue goes beyond just "perception or popular dissatisfaction."

The difference between the salary of a president of the Republic in Brazil is 21.3 times the average income of the population, well above neighboring countries like Argentina (9.2) and Chile (10.3). Here, the head of the Executive Branch earns R$44,000, compared to an average income of R$2,000. This is 32% higher than the average in emerging countries.

Among Brazilian federal judges, the inequality is even more pronounced, reaching a rate of 40.6 in some cases, with salaries reaching R$84,000. This comes after the National Council of Justice (CNJ) authorized the payment of compensatory payments close to the constitutional ceiling.

Extreme cases were also found in which remuneration reached R$678,000 in just one month – or 339 times the Brazilian per capita household income, a rate not identified in any other country evaluated by the group.

"Wage inequality in the Brazilian judiciary reveals not only a structure of privilege, but also an institutional model that shields itself from adjustments, revisions, or fiscal restraint. The constitutional salary cap is a work of fiction," states another excerpt from the study.

Among ministers of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and Superior Court of Justice (STJ), salaries are up to 22.4 times higher than the average Brazilian income, while in the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom the difference is 11 times and, in countries like Switzerland and Germany, only 6 times.

"The survey reveals that the judiciary presents the worst case of disparity among all authorities—not only in Brazil, but compared to judges in higher courts in developed countries. [...] More than a question of absolute value, the problem lies in the lack of objective and proportional compensation criteria—and in the system's inability to curb its own privileges," the study notes.

In the Legislature, the discrepancy is also high: federal deputies in Brazil receive 21.2 times more than the average income of the population, compared to 4.5 times in Argentina, 3.7 in the United Kingdom, 3.4 in the United States and 3.0 in Portugal.

The survey used data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD Contínua) from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and official statistics from other countries, such as Argentina's INDEC and Spain's INE, considering only the salaries of presidents, representatives, and federal judges. Allowances, benefits, and severance payments, which often exceed the maximum salary limit, were not included in the main calculation, although the report highlights their importance.

"The detachment of the Brazilian state elite exceeds what would be expected given the general inequality in society. Instead of correcting distortions, as would be expected of the state, the top of the Brazilian public sector reproduces them—and often amplifies them," the study states.

Experts warn that such a huge income gap affects the relationship between those who govern and those they govern. For many, the elite civil service lives in a reality so different from the majority that they don't depend on the services they should be improving. For Rafael Moredo, public policy coordinator at Livres, this gap between representatives and those they represent isn't just a budgetary issue—it's an institutional, political, and symbolic problem.

"When those who make laws, judge rules, or implement public policies live in a financial reality radically different from the majority of the population, the State's ability to understand, respond to, and take responsibility for society's demands is seriously compromised," he added.