Evolução do padrão de consumo das famílias brasileiras entre 2008 e 2017

Between 2004 and 2014, Brazil experienced a rise in mass consumption, thanks to the increase in the purchasing powerof low-income families. This article analyzes, from a microeconomic perspective, the changes in the pattern ofhousehold expenditure that resulted from this scenario. It also assesses the extent to which the economic crisis thatstarted in 2014 has reversed the improvement in the welfare level reached in the previous period. To this end, we usedata from the 2017-2018 Brazilian Family Budget Survey, comparing them with the corresponding results from itsprevious edition (2008-2009). We estimate per capita family expenses in different categories, as well as incomeelasticitiesand concentration ratios, to evaluate which types of expenditure have become more (or less) concentratedin the relatively wealthy families. We pay particular attention to consumption expenditure, given its direct influence onliving standards.