Brazil's Food Industry Sees 2.4% Employment Growth, Reaching 2.1 Million Jobs
The Brazilian food industry concluded 2025 with one of its most robust performances in recent years, as reported by the Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Alimentos (ABIA). The sector's revenue reached R$ 1.388 trillion, marking an 8.02% increase compared to 2024, and comprising 10.9% of Brazil's GDP.
Domestic consumption was a major contributor, generating R$ 1.02 trillion of the total revenue, with R$ 732 billion from retail and R$ 287.9 billion from food services. The latter segment benefited from a resurgence in dining out, leading to a 2.2% rise in real sales and a 1.9% increase in physical production, totaling 288 million tons.
The industry created 51,000 formal jobs in 2025, representing 44.6% of new positions in Brazil's manufacturing sector, increasing direct employment to 2.125 million people, up 2.4% from the previous year. When including the entire supply chain, employment numbers surged to 10.6 million, equating to 10.3% of Brazil's workforce. The sector's wage bill also rose by 9.94%, outpacing inflation.
Despite a 5.1% rise in production costs due to higher prices for agricultural raw materials, packaging, energy, and fuels, the industry managed to limit consumer price increases. While the national inflation rate (IPCA) was 4.26% in 2025, food prices rose only by 2.95%, thanks to investments in operational efficiency and innovation.
Investment in the sector reached R$ 41.3 billion, a 6.8% increase from the previous year. Of this, R$ 26.7 billion was allocated to modernizing industrial plants and new technologies, as part of a broader investment plan for 2023-2026, which has seen 97% execution by the end of 2025.
Internationally, the sector's exports grew by 0.7%, totaling US$ 66.73 billion and covering over 190 countries. Asia remained the primary export market, with China alone accounting for 19% of exports and a 28.4% increase in purchases. The United States also saw a 9.2% rise in food imports from Brazil, contributing to a trade surplus of US$ 57.5 billion, representing 84.2% of Brazil's overall trade surplus.
