Sao Paulo Notes: Brazil’s Economy, Demographics, and City Life Assessed
6 reported2 unconfirmed
A recent visitor to Sao Paulo reported that the city has improved significantly, with a plummeting murder rate and growing nice neighborhoods. The observer noted that Brazil feels increasingly conservative and is aging rapidly, with couples in domestic airports typically having only one child. The business community in Sao Paulo is described as strong, with interesting architecture and a real arts scene, making it arguably Latin America’s number one city alongside Mexico City. The visitor praised the city’s food scene, calling it top tier for Brazilian, meat, Japanese, and Italian cuisine, and noted a fifteen-course omikase at a Michelin star restaurant for $110. The observer expressed optimism about the Brazilian economy, citing that hyperinflation is a distant memory and a reasonable fiscal consolidation occurred in the 1990s, though the government is locked into too much spending. The biggest worry identified is Brazil’s demographics, with a total fertility rate in the 1.3 to 1.4 range and no obvious easy option for pulling in a higher number of desirable immigrants.
What’s reported
The murder rate in Sao Paulo has plummeted, and nice neighborhoods are very nice and growing in size.
The observer did not see a single evident foreign tourist in three days in Sao Paulo.
A fifteen-course omikase at a Michelin star restaurant, Kan Suke, cost $110 and was available with only an hour’s notice.
Brazil’s total fertility rate has been in the 1.3 to 1.4 range in recent times.
The observer stated that hyperinflation is now a distant memory and a reasonable fiscal consolidation occurred in the 1990s.
The observer would rather spend a week dining out in Sao Paulo than in London, Paris, Rome, or New York City.
Open questions
Whether Brazilian fertility will tick back up.
Whether Brazil will re-attain its status as a highly influential culture on the world scene.
Sources: marginalrevolution.com
