Brazil’s Social Security Hits a Record: 66.8% of Workers Contribute

This page is a translation of the original Portuguese text, provided for convenience. It deals with Brazilian law. If there is any discrepancy, the Portuguese version prevails. Read the original in Portuguese

Brazil has reached its highest share of workers contributing to social security since the data series began in 2012. According to the Pnad Contínua (Continuous National Household Sample Survey) from IBGE (the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), 66.8% of employed people in the country contributed to a social security institute in the quarter ending in February 2026.

A historic record in social security

The figures released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) mark an important milestone for the social protection of Brazilian workers. In the quarter ending in February 2026, the country recorded 68.196 million social security contributors, or 66.8% of all employed people.

This percentage exceeds every earlier record in the Pnad Contínua, the National Household Sample Survey, whose data series began in 2012. For comparison, the lowest rate on record was 61.9%, in the quarter ending in May 2012.

It is worth noting that the absolute number of contributors has been higher before: in the fourth quarter of 2025, there were 68.496 million. At that time, however, contributors made up 66.5% of all employed people, a lower share than today’s.

What changes for the insured worker

The growing number of contributors directly affects people insured by INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute). With more workers contributing regularly, the social security system grows stronger and is better able to keep paying existing benefits.

For the individual worker, paying into social security secures access to a series of basic rights under Law No. 8.213/1991:

• Retirement by age or by length of contribution, under the transition rules in force after the Social Security Reform
• Temporary disability benefit (auxílio-doença) and permanent disability benefit (aposentadoria por invalidez)
• Survivor’s pension for dependents
• Maternity pay
• Accident benefit (auxílio-acidente)

IBGE clarifies that contributors include not only formal employees with a signed work card (carteira assinada), but also employers, domestic workers and self-employed workers who contribute to INSS, to the Federal Government’s Social Security Plan, or to state and municipal institutes.

Informal workers who contribute voluntarily are also counted in this statistic.

This means that informal workers who choose to contribute as optional insured persons (segurados facultativos) or as individual contributors are also part of the statistic. Here is a practical example: a self-employed worker without a CNPJ (corporate taxpayer number) who makes monthly payments to INSS is counted as a contributor, even without a formal employment relationship.

The formal job market drives contributions

According to economists consulted for the survey, the main factor behind the record is the expansion of formal employment in Brazil. Pnad Contínua data show that the number of private-sector employees with a signed work card reached 39.2 million in the quarter ending in February 2026, holding steady compared with the previous quarter.

An analysis by specialists at the Brazilian Institute of Economics (Ibre) of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) points out that formal employment has recovered more strongly than informal jobs. Because formal jobs are directly tied to mandatory social security payments, the advance of formalization automatically raised the share of contributors.

Formal jobs are also associated with higher productivity and higher pay, which benefits workers twice over: in addition to immediate social security protection, contributions on higher wages lead to larger benefits later.

Worker earnings are also at a record

Another relevant finding from the same survey is workers’ average monthly earnings, which reached R$ 3.679. This is the highest amount ever recorded in the Pnad Contínua series, adjusted for inflation.

That figure is a 2% increase from the quarter ending in November 2025 and 5.2% higher than the same period a year earlier. Real wage growth directly affects the amount of social security contributions and, in turn, how future benefits are calculated.

For anyone planning retirement, higher wages during the contribution period mean a more favorable wage average when the benefit is calculated. After the Social Security Reform (Constitutional Amendment No. 103/2019), the retirement benefit equals 60% of the average of all contribution wages, plus 2% for each year beyond 20 years of contributions (men) or 15 years (women).

Keep in mind that keeping your National Social Information Registry (CNIS) up to date is essential to make sure all of your employment relationships and earnings are correctly recorded, which avoids losses when you apply for any benefit.

Outlook for social security

Economists expect the upward trend in the share of contributors to continue if the economy keeps growing. Brazil’s aging population makes the issue even more important, because a sustainable social security system depends on a broad base of active contributors.

IBGE data show that Brazil has never recorded a contributor rate below 60% among employed workers since the series began in 2012. This positive trend suggests that a culture of social security participation is taking hold in the country.

Still, there is room to improve: more than 33% of Brazilian workers remain outside the social security system, leaving them unprotected in cases of illness, accident, maternity or old age. Self-employed and informal workers can (and should) seek guidance on the contribution options available, such as the simplified plan (an 11% rate on the minimum wage) or contributing as an Individual Microentrepreneur (MEI).

Given this positive picture for social security, each worker should review their own contribution situation. Checking your social security statement in the Meu INSS app, confirming that your payments are up to date, and planning your retirement well in advance are essential steps toward securing the best possible benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who does IBGE consider a social security contributor?

IBGE counts as contributors all employees, employers, domestic workers and self-employed workers who pay into an official social security institute, whether federal (INSS or the Federal Government’s Social Security Plan), state or municipal. This includes both workers with a signed work card and informal workers who contribute voluntarily as optional insured persons or as individual INSS contributors. Currently, 68.196 million workers fall within this definition.

How does the record number of contributors affect my future retirement?

A larger number of contributors strengthens the sustainability of the social security system, which is good for every insured person. On an individual level, what determines the amount of your retirement benefit is your own contribution history: how long you paid in and the amounts on which you contributed. After the Social Security Reform (Constitutional Amendment No. 103/2019), the benefit equals 60% of the average of all contribution wages, plus 2% for each year beyond the minimum contribution period. Higher wages and regular contributions lead to higher benefits.

I’m an informal worker. How can I contribute to INSS?

Informal workers can contribute to INSS as individual contributors (self-employed) or as optional insured persons. There are different contribution tiers: the simplified plan lets you pay 11% on the minimum wage (which gives you the right to an age-based retirement benefit equal to one minimum wage), while contributing on higher amounts yields a benefit proportional to what you paid in. Individual Microentrepreneurs (MEI) contribute 5% of the minimum wage. Payment is made with the Social Security Payment Slip (GPS), which you can generate on the website or in the Meu INSS app.

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As informações deste artigo são de caráter informativo e não substituem consulta jurídica individualizada. Cada caso possui particularidades que exigem análise específica.