The BRICS

in 9 graphs

With support from the CS

Mott Foundation

Intro to BRICS charts

BRICS is one of several blocs of large developing countries that has emerged over the past
decade as a potential force to challenge the status quo. Including Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa, the leaders of BRICS countries have been meeting annually since 2009.
Together they represent about 40% of the worlds population and about 25% of global GDP.
BRICS has spawned new institutions, most notably the New Development Bank (sometimes
referred to as the BRICS Bank) and new agreements such as the Contingency Reserve
Agreement (a sort of mini-International Monetary Fund). While some of the rhetoric around these
new structures implies that they will be challenging "Washington Consensus" policies of
liberalization, privatization and budget austerity, its not clear that they are actually moving in that
direction. Many of the actual policies of the institutions, such as the CRAs requirement that
countries have an IMF agreement to access more than 30% of their allotted funding, or the
NDBs stated focus on infrastructure investment, may replicate existing problems with the
international financial architecture.
But the fact that these countries are coming into their own does change the global picture
significantly. With a bloc of the biggest and richest developing countries flexing its global
muscles, there is increasing space for poorer countries to negotiate better terms for agreements
related to trade, aid, and investment. Hopefully those countries will also have more opportunities
to move beyond the resource economy and to climb the ladder of industrialization that
separates developed from developing economies.
The graphs below illustrate why we should be paying attention to the BRICS bloc.

50 Trillion

37.5 Trillion

25 Trillion

12.5 Trillion

42.4

Combined G7

24.7093

Combined BRICS

22.5

USA

16.2

China
(Nominal GDP)

How Big is Big?

2.4

Brazil

Russia

2.1

Real GDP in the BRICS and the G7 countries

India

3.6

Values shown in trillions nominal USD.

Source: www.imf.org/external/datamapper/index.php
G7 Countries
BRICS Countries

4.9

Japan
(2nd Largest G7)

0.4093

South Africa

$60,000

$45,000

$30,000

$15,000

54,598

USA

50,379

Canada

47,589

Germany

45,853

UK

44,538

France

36,331

Japan

35,823

Italy

45,016

Average
G7

8,045

Average
BRICS

6,482

SA

India

1,626

GDP Per Capita

China

7,589

Values shown in nominal USD.

G7 Countries

Brazil

11,604

BRICS Countries

12,925

Russia

1.2 Billion

0.9 Billion

0.6 Billion

0.3 Billion

1,114,232,200

India

659,967,830

China

41,360,000

Brazil

Absolute Poverty
In BRICS countires

Indicator: Number of poor at $4 a day (PPP).

1 in 4 people living in a BRICS country earns less than $4/day.

Russia

7,450,235

Source: World Bank Poverty and inequality Database: databank.worldbank.org/

data/views/variableselection/selectvariables.aspx?source=poverty-andinequality-database

25,931,400

South Africa

90%

67.5%

45.0%

22.5%

Poverty Rates
BRICS vs non-BRICS countries
India

1994

1995

SA

1996

China

1997

1998

Brazil

1999

2000

Indicator: Poverty headcount ratio at $2 a day (PPP), (% of population).

1993

Russia

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

90%

67.5%

45.0%

22.5%

Poverty Rates
BRICS vs non-BRICS countries
Zambia

1994

1995

Bangladesh

1996

Laos

1997

1998

1999

2000

Tajikistan

Indicator: Poverty headcount ratio at $2 a day (PPP), (% of population).

1993

Colombia

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

60%

45%

30%

15%

56%

China Development Bank

52%

Asian Development Bank

How focused on infrastructure is the

New Development Bank

33%

World Bank

33%

The New Development Bank says that it will have a focus on

infrastructure. In doing so, its largely in keeping with other
development institutions that invest heavily in the infrastructure sector.

Brazils National Development Bank

70%

52.5%

35.0%

17.5%

Income Inequality in BRICS Countries

SA

1996

China

1997

1998

Brazil

1999

2000

Russia

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

The fall in income poverty in BRICS countries has not been matched by a fall in income inequality.
India

1994

1995

The data is the GINI index (World Bank estimate)

1993

2011

4000

3000

2000

1000

3,706

USA

2,517

China

1,829

India

BRICS

Investments in Africa

A lot of the rhetoric about the need for a New Development Bank highlights the
perceived underdevelopment of the African continent. This chart illustrates how
much BRICS countries are already investing into the African continent.

FDI flows abroad, by geographical destination (millions USD) year = 2012

Brazil

102

Russia

47

Source: unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/FDI%20Statistics/FDI-Statistics-Bilateral.aspx
G7 Countries
BRICS Countries

1,536

South Africa

0.7

0.525

0.35

0.175

0.657

Mozambique

0.534

Laos

0.529

Bangladesh

0.460

Colombia

0.383

Tajikistan

0.563

India

Gender Inequality in
BRICS countries

The data is Gender Inequality Index Value, 2013

0.314

Russia

China

0.202

Source: hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-4-gender-inequality-index
Other Countries

Brazil

0.441

BRICS Countries

0.461

SA