35/ 63Minimum wage
Minimum wage above inflation: 1.5% under Jair Bolsonaro, 9.9% under Lula
Real gain is how much the wage rises above inflation: what it can buy on top. Added together, the five minimum wage readjustments decided by the government of Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio's father, gave 1.5% above inflation; the four decided by the Lula government, 9.9%[1].
Real gain added up by government
% above inflation (INPC), adding up each government's readjustments · linear scale with zero
- Bolsonaro government1.5%
- Lula government9.9%
4 readjustments, May 2023 to Jan. 2026[1]
The January 2023 readjustment (R$ 1,302) was decided by the Bolsonaro government, through MP 1.143 of December 2022, and is counted in its bar.
View the figures in a table
| Government | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Bolsonaro government | 1.5% | 5 readjustments, Jan. 2020 to Jan. 2023 |
| Lula government | 9.9% | 4 readjustments, May 2023 to Jan. 2026 |
The rule
A rule that ended and returned
From 2016 to 2019, a law added to inflation (INPC) the economic growth of two years earlier[3]. For 2020, the Bolsonaro government proposed adjusting the minimum wage for inflation only, with no real increase[4]. And so it went until 2022, according to DIEESE: readjustments only to make up for inflation[1].
In 2023, the Lula government made a new law: inflation plus the economic growth of two years earlier[5]. In 2024, another law from the same government capped the gain from 2025 to 2030: the fiscal rule's limit, 0.6% to 2.5% a year[6][7].
Year by year
The minimum wage's path to 2026
In 2023, the minimum wage went from R$ 1,212 to R$ 1,302 in January, by a measure of the Bolsonaro government, and to R$ 1,320 in May, already under the Lula government[2][1]. In reais, the Bolsonaro government's readjustments added up to more, 30% against 24%, because inflation was high[1].
In 2024, R$ 1,412: 5.64% above inflation[1]. In 2025 and 2026, the cap limited the gain to 2.5%, instead of the full rule's 3.2% and 3.4%: R$ 1,518 instead of R$ 1,528; R$ 1,621 instead of R$ 1,636[6][8][1].
The reach
Who lives on the minimum
In April 2026, 22.5 million INSS benefits were worth one minimum wage[9]. And 61.9 million Brazilians have income tied to the minimum wage, according to DIEESE[1]. Benefits above the minimum were treated the same under both governments: readjusted by inflation (INPC) only[10].
In São Paulo, the minimum wage bought, on average, 2.04 basic food baskets (cesta básica) in 2019 and 1.59 in 2022. For January 2026, the DIEESE estimate is 1.93, still below 2019[1]. Daniella Marques, in charge of Flávio's economic plan, promises a raise above inflation, without saying how much[11].
Read also “The two plans”, on what each plan says, and “Electioneering measures”, on the vote on the 2023 law. On October 25, take these numbers to the ballot box.
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References11 sources
- 01DIEESE · Nota Técnica 289: Impactos do aumento do salário mínimo para R$ 1.621,00 em 2026Values and real gain of each readjustment since 2003; end of the valorization policy between 2019 and 2022; 2024 GDP of 3.4% and the R$ 1,636 value; food baskets in São Paulo; 61.9 million people.(opens in a new tab)
- 02Câmara dos Deputados · Medida Provisória nº 1.143, de 12 de dezembro de 2022The Bolsonaro government set the 2023 minimum wage at R$ 1,302, with a real gain of about 1.5%.(opens in a new tab)
- 03Planalto · Lei nº 13.152, de 29 de julho de 2015Minimum wage valorization from 2016 to 2019: INPC plus the real GDP growth of two years earlier.(opens in a new tab)
- 04Consultor Jurídico · Governo quer acabar com política de aumento real do salário mínimoThe 2020 budget guidelines bill (LDO), sent on Apr. 15, 2019, set the minimum wage adjusted by INPC only, with no real increase.(opens in a new tab)
- 05Planalto · Lei nº 14.663, de 28 de agosto de 2023Permanent valorization policy: INPC plus the real GDP growth of two years earlier.(opens in a new tab)
- 06Planalto · Lei nº 15.077, de 27 de dezembro de 2024Art. 4: from 2025 to 2030, the minimum wage's real increase is capped at the new fiscal framework's index.(opens in a new tab)
- 07Planalto · Lei Complementar nº 200, de 30 de agosto de 2023Art. 5, § 1: real growth of at least 0.6% and at most 2.5% a year.(opens in a new tab)
- 08DIEESE · Nota Técnica 283: Salário mínimo de R$ 1.518,00 em 2025With the full 2023 GDP growth (3.2%), the 2025 minimum wage would be R$ 1,528, R$ 10 more.(opens in a new tab)
- 09Ministério da Previdência Social · Boletim Estatístico da Previdência Social, vol. 32, nº 04, abril de 2026Table 18: 22,482,772 of the 35,381,086 RGPS benefits paid in April 2026 were worth one floor (minimum wage).(opens in a new tab)
- 10Planalto · Lei nº 8.213, de 24 de julho de 1991Art. 41-A: benefits readjusted every year by INPC, on the minimum wage's readjustment date.(opens in a new tab)
- 11Gazeta do Povo · Daniella Marques: plano de Flávio prevê ganho real no salário mínimo e controle de gastosThe head of Flávio's economic plan promises a raise above inflation, without saying by how much.(opens in a new tab)