Growth rate of informal settlements outpaces the expansion of urbanised zones, study reveals. The area of Brazilian favelas in 2024 was equivalent to 16 times the size of the city of Lisbon.
The area occupied by favelas in Brazil grew 2.75 times over 40 years, outpacing the rate of expansion of urbanised areas, according to a study published on Wednesday.
“Between 1985 and 2024, favela areas grew more than 2.75 times, above the pace of expansion of urbanised areas (2.5 times) in Brazil,” reads the statement from MapBiomas, a network of non-governmental organisations, universities and technology companies that annually maps land cover and use in Brazil since 1985.
In 1985, the urbanised area in favelas in Brazil was 53,700 hectares. By 2024, that figure had risen to 146,000 hectares.
According to MapBiomas, the city of Manaus leads the ranking of urbanised areas in favelas both in 1985 and 2024, with growth of 2.6 times. Rio de Janeiro, which held second place in 1985 with 3,600 hectares, fell to fifth position in 2024 with 5,300 hectares.
“Despite this, the increase in that municipality was nearly 1.5 times. São Paulo, in turn, rose from fourth place (3,100 hectares) to third (6,000 hectares) — an increase of 1.9 times,” the statement reads.
“The faster growth of favela areas compared to the national average and their strong concentration in metropolitan regions suggest a well-known and worrying trend, where metropolises concentrate great wealth but also intensify structural problems, and in the face of ongoing climate change, a warning signal is flashing,” said Julio Pedrassoli, one of the coordinators of MapBiomas’ Urbanised Areas mapping.
Of the five favelas that most expanded their occupied area between 1985 and 2024, four are in Brasília, including Sol Nascente, currently the largest favela in the country.
