A pandemia de Covid-19 e inflação no Brasil: desafios para o poder de compra da população

Abstract

Brazil, despite having experienced currency stability with the implementation of the Real Plan, has a long and complex inflationary history. Recently, with the rise in the general price level in the pandemic period, uncertainties about the direction of the Brazilian economy have grown. In this context, the present study aims to study the high inflation rates in Brazil from 2020 onwards and their consequences for the population, especially in relation to purchasing power. For this, bibliographical and documentary research was carried out, in addition to the evaluation of empirical data on inflation, prices and income, through data collected from sites such as: IBGE, IPEA, FGV and DIEESE. It was noticed that high inflation rates, located above the tolerance limit of the current inflation target, have implications in several areas, from the elaboration of contracts, to the GDP and national accounts, generating unemployment and loss of income. Above all, inflation affects the lowest income classes in the economy. In 2020, despite registering indices within the upper limit of the inflation target established by the Central Bank of Brazil, inflation registered in the food category was more than three times higher than the general index registered in that same year, implying a potential loss of income for families located in the lower social classes of the population. In 2021 and 2022, during the pandemic, the general inflation rate suffered considerable variations and reached 10.06% p.a., an index much higher than the target established in 2021. consumption power of the low-income population, which allows inferring that price level instability contributes to the retraction of the national GDP.