Brazil Faces Alarming Rise in Homeless Population, with Southeast Accounting for 60%
Brazil's homeless population surges to 358,553 in 2025, with the Southeast region accounting for 60% of cases and alarming growth in Boa Vista, Roraima.
- • Brazil has 358,553 homeless people as of October 2025, per OBPopRua data.
- • 60% of the homeless population is concentrated in the Southeast, led by São Paulo with 148,730 people.
- • Significant increases in homelessness observed in Boa Vista, Roraima, nearly tenfold since 2018.
- • Lack of transparency in homelessness data and constitutional rights violations highlighted by researchers.
Key details
Brazil's homeless population has reached 358,553 as of October 2025, according to data from the Brazilian Public Policy Observatory on Homeless Populations (OBPopRua) at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. The Southeast region holds about 60% of this population, with São Paulo leading at 148,730 homeless individuals, including 99,477 in the city itself. Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais follow with 33,081 and 32,685 people experiencing homelessness, respectively. Other states such as Paraná, Bahia, and Ceará have considerably lower numbers. Notably, Boa Vista in Roraima has witnessed a dramatic increase, from just over 1,000 homeless people in 2018 to nearly ten times that number, contrasting with the national rise from 138,000 to 358,000.
The OBPopRua highlighted ongoing violations of the 1988 Federal Constitution regarding the rights of the homeless, a predominantly Black and historically vulnerable population. The lack of transparency and public access to data on homelessness remains a critical concern. These findings reveal a deeply troubling social issue exacerbated in key urban centers, particularly in the Southeast of Brazil, demanding urgent policy attention and improved data openness.