São Paulo – The presence of imported goods in Brazilian consumption reached its highest level in research conducted by the Brazilian industry lobby, the CNI, since 2003. According to the latest edition of the Trade Openness Coefficients (CAC) study, produced by CNI in partnership with the Center for Foreign Trade Studies Foundation (Funcex), the increase in the indicator was driven by Chinese products.
The CAC is an annual publication that assesses the degree of integration of Brazilian industry with foreign trade through four coefficients, two of which measure the share of imports in the Brazilian market. The presence of foreign goods in Brazilians’ daily consumption is measured by the import penetration coefficient, which rose 2.2 percentage points, from 24.5% in 2023 to 26.7% in 2024.
The share of Chinese products in Brazilian consumption rose from 7.1% to 9.2% in 2024, an increase of 2.1 percentage points at constant prices, reaching the highest level in the historical series. The growth was mainly driven by higher-value, technology-intensive sectors, such as machinery and equipment, electrical machines and materials, and computer and optical equipment. In 2024, China, the European Union, the United States, and other European countries accounted for 18.7% of apparent consumption in the manufacturing industry, but only China increased its share.
In addition to final consumer goods, the use of imported industrial inputs also reached a record level in Brazil last year. The imported input coefficient rose from 23% to 25%, the highest in the survey’s series. The largest increases were seen in imports of machinery and equipment, other transport equipment, clothing and accessories, and textiles.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
