Explaining Brazil Podcast: A rigged social ladder

Imagine income brackets as a ladder with 100 rungs. If you’re on the first rung, it means you’re in the bottom 1 percent of the country in terms of income. If you are on the 100th step, you’re part of the top 1 percent, and you’re super rich. A recent study by Brazilian researchers shows that the social ladder offers little mobility in Brazil.

If you’re at the top, chances are you won't drop down too much. But if you’re at the bottom, the path for you to climb upwards is very narrow.

For those born into households on the bottom 20 rungs of the ladder, there's a 2.5 percent chance they will reach the upper levels. That's much lower than what we see in developed nations.

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