Socio-economic Profile of Programa Bolsa Família Recipients: What Does the Single Registry Reveal?

Abstract

Camargo et al. (2013) discuss the socio-economic profile of Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) recipients5 based on an analysis of the information available in the Single Registry. In March 2013, the Single Registry database contained information on 24.5 million families, of which 23 million (91 per cent) had per capita household incomes of under half the minimum wage — the income bracket that encompasses its targeted group. Out of this population, 13.9million households (or 50 million people — roughly 26 per cent of the Brazilian population) are PBF beneficiaries and receive an average benefit of R$149.71.These families comprise 3.6 people on average. Most of them (50.2 per cent) live in the north-eastern region of the country.Lançado em 2003, o Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) é o resultado da unificação das ações de transferência de renda para a população vulnerável em âmbito federal, cuja implementação articula as políticas de saúde, educação e assistência social e conjuga esforços de estados e municípios.