From the vast fields of soybean to the bustling factories of São Paulo, Brazil's chemical industry is the powerful, often unseen engine behind the nation's economy, as evidenced by producing 12.8 million metric tons of petrochemicals, generating BRL 180 billion in revenue, and investing BRL 2.8 billion in sustainability in a single year.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Brazil's chemical industry produced 12.8 million metric tons of petrochemicals, representing a 3.2% increase from 2021
- Brazil's ethylene production capacity stood at 2.45 million tons per year in 2023, with actual output reaching 2.1 million tons
- Polyethylene production in Brazil totaled 1.9 million tons in 2022, dominated by low-density polyethylene at 45% of total
- Brazil's chemical industry revenue reached BRL 180 billion in 2022, with petrochemicals contributing 45%
- The market size of Brazil's specialty chemicals sector was USD 15.2 billion in 2023, growing at 5.8% CAGR
- Chemical industry GDP contribution in Brazil was 2.1% in 2022, equating to BRL 48 billion
- Brazil exported chemicals worth USD 18.5 billion in 2022, 12% of total exports
- Chemical imports to Brazil totaled USD 35.2 billion in 2023, fertilizers 45% share
- Brazil's ethylene derivatives exports reached USD 2.1 billion in 2022, to Latin America mainly
- The chemical industry employed 198,000 direct workers in Brazil in 2022
- Total employment including indirect jobs reached 750,000 in the chemicals sector in 2023
- Petrochemical subsector employed 45,000 people in 2022, 23% engineers/technicians
- Investments in Brazil's chemical industry totaled BRL 15.2 billion in 2022
- Petrobras announced BRL 8 billion for petrochemical expansion in 2023-2027
- New ethylene cracker project by Braskem investment BRL 12 billion, capacity 1.1 mtpa, 2023
Brazil's chemical industry showed strong production growth across major sectors in 2022 and 2023.
Employment and Labor
- The chemical industry employed 198,000 direct workers in Brazil in 2022
- Total employment including indirect jobs reached 750,000 in the chemicals sector in 2023
- Petrochemical subsector employed 45,000 people in 2022, 23% engineers/technicians
- Fertilizer industry jobs totaled 32,000 in 2023, with 15% in production roles
- Paints sector employment was 28,000 direct jobs in 2022
- Pharmaceutical chemicals employed 22,000 in 2023, R&D staff 12%
- Agrochemicals workforce stood at 18,500 in 2022
- Soap and detergents employed 35,000 people in 2023
- Plastics processing linked to chemicals had 150,000 jobs in 2022
- Industrial gases sector jobs were 12,000 in 2023
- Water treatment chemicals employed 8,500 in 2022
- Adhesives industry workforce totaled 15,000 jobs in 2023
- Textile chemicals subsector had 9,200 employees in 2022
- Rubber chemicals employed 7,800 in 2023
- Leather chemicals jobs stood at 5,500 in 2022
- Chemical distribution employed 45,000 people in 2023
- Fine chemicals R&D jobs were 4,200 in 2022
- Average salary in chemicals industry was BRL 4,800/month in 2023, 20% above national average
- Women represent 28% of chemical industry workforce in Brazil in 2022
- Training programs trained 15,000 workers in 2023 via SENAI partnerships
- Labor productivity in chemicals was BRL 950,000/worker in 2022
- Turnover rate in sector averaged 9.2% in 2023, lower than manufacturing average
Employment and Labor Interpretation
Beyond the impressive 750,000 total jobs, Brazil's chemical industry is a high-stakes ecosystem of brainpower and bulk, where a relative handful of well-paid engineers and researchers must shepherd a vast, complex supply chain from petrochemicals to soap with admirable stability.
Investments and Sustainability
- Investments in Brazil's chemical industry totaled BRL 15.2 billion in 2022
- Petrobras announced BRL 8 billion for petrochemical expansion in 2023-2027
- New ethylene cracker project by Braskem investment BRL 12 billion, capacity 1.1 mtpa, 2023
- Fertilizer plant expansions invested BRL 4.5 billion in 2022
- Sustainability investments in chemicals reached BRL 2.8 billion in 2023, 18% of total capex
- Bio-based chemicals R&D funding was BRL 650 million in 2022
- Renewable energy adoption in plants cost BRL 1.2 billion in 2023
- Water recycling projects invested BRL 450 million in 2022
- Carbon capture initiatives funded BRL 200 million in 2023
- New PVC plant by Braskem-Risk investment BRL 3.5 billion, 2022
- Ammonia green production pilot BRL 1.8 billion, 2023
- Paint industry green formulations R&D BRL 350 million in 2022
- Agrochemical sustainable tech BRL 800 million invested 2023
- Digitalization capex in chemicals BRL 1.1 billion in 2022
- Logistics infrastructure upgrades BRL 950 million, 2023
- Worker safety investments BRL 280 million in 2022
- Recycling facilities for plastics chemicals BRL 650 million, 2023
- Emission reduction projects BRL 520 million in 2022
- Biodiversity programs funded BRL 150 million, 2023
- Energy efficiency upgrades BRL 900 million in 2022
- 65% of chemical plants achieved ISO 14001 certification by 2023
- CO2 emissions from sector reduced 12% from 2015 baseline in 2022
- Water usage intensity dropped 18% to 4.2 m3/ton produced in 2023
- Hazardous waste recycling rate reached 92% in 2022
Investments and Sustainability Interpretation
Brazil's chemical industry, investing billions not just in its own expansion but also in a greener future, is demonstrating that economic ambition and environmental responsibility can be synthesized into a single, formidable strategy.
Market and Economic Indicators
- Brazil's chemical industry revenue reached BRL 180 billion in 2022, with petrochemicals contributing 45%
- The market size of Brazil's specialty chemicals sector was USD 15.2 billion in 2023, growing at 5.8% CAGR
- Chemical industry GDP contribution in Brazil was 2.1% in 2022, equating to BRL 48 billion
- Brazil's fertilizer market value stood at USD 25 billion in 2023, driven by agribusiness demand
- Paint and coatings market in Brazil generated BRL 32 billion in revenue in 2022
- The pharmaceuticals chemicals market size was BRL 45 billion in 2023, with APIs at 30% share
- Brazil's petrochemical market was valued at USD 40 billion in 2022, with polymers leading
- Agrochemicals market revenue hit BRL 28 billion in 2023, up 8% YoY
- Soap and detergents market size reached BRL 22 billion in 2022
- Brazil's plastics chemicals market was USD 18 billion in 2023, polyethylene dominant
- Industrial gases market in Brazil valued at BRL 12 billion in 2022, oxygen at 40%
- Water treatment chemicals market size was BRL 8.5 billion in 2023, coagulants key
- Brazil's adhesives market generated BRL 9 billion in 2022, construction driven
- Textile chemicals market value stood at BRL 6.2 billion in 2023
- Rubber chemicals market in Brazil was BRL 4.8 billion in 2022
- Leather chemicals market size reached BRL 3.1 billion in 2023
- Brazil's chemical distribution market revenue was BRL 55 billion in 2022
- Fine chemicals market valued at USD 2.5 billion in 2023, pharma applications 60%
- Commodity chemicals market size was BRL 120 billion in 2022
- Brazil's chemical industry profit margin averaged 8.2% in 2023, up from 7.1% in 2021
- R&D expenditure in chemicals sector was BRL 4.2 billion in 2022, 2.3% of revenue
- Chemical industry capacity utilization rate was 78% in 2023, petrochemicals at 82%
Market and Economic Indicators Interpretation
Brazil's chemical industry reveals a national portrait of priorities: while petrochemical giants provide the skeleton and agriculture the muscle with its vast appetite for fertilizers and agrochemicals, the true lifeblood flows from the smaller, smarter specialty sectors—from the pharmaceuticals healing our bodies to the water treatment chemicals purifying our resources—proving that the country's economic health is increasingly measured not just in bulk, but in value-added brilliance.
Production Statistics
- In 2022, Brazil's chemical industry produced 12.8 million metric tons of petrochemicals, representing a 3.2% increase from 2021
- Brazil's ethylene production capacity stood at 2.45 million tons per year in 2023, with actual output reaching 2.1 million tons
- Polyethylene production in Brazil totaled 1.9 million tons in 2022, dominated by low-density polyethylene at 45% of total
- The Brazilian fertilizer industry produced 8.2 million tons of nitrogen-based fertilizers in 2023, up 5% year-over-year
- Chlorine production in Brazil reached 1.45 million tons in 2022, with 70% used in water treatment and PVC manufacturing
- Brazil's soda ash production was 450,000 tons in 2023, primarily from captive plants of major chemical firms
- In 2021, the output of basic petrochemicals like propylene was 1.2 million tons, with utilization rate at 82%
- Brazil produced 850,000 tons of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in 2022, marking a 4.5% growth
- The caustic soda production volume in Brazil hit 1.6 million tons in 2023, supported by electrochemical plants
- Brazil's ammonia production for fertilizers reached 2.8 million tons in 2022, with 60% imported intermediates processed locally
- In 2023, specialty chemicals production grew to 1.1 million tons, focusing on pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals
- Brazil's benzene production was 750,000 tons in 2022, mainly from Petrobras refineries
- Toluene output in Brazil totaled 420,000 tons in 2023, used primarily in solvents and resins
- Xylene production capacity in Brazil is 600,000 tons annually, with 2022 output at 550,000 tons
- In 2022, Brazil manufactured 320,000 tons of methanol, with bio-based production at 15%
- Styrene monomer production reached 450,000 tons in 2023, up 6% from prior year
- Brazil's cumene production was 280,000 tons in 2022, integral to phenol and acetone chains
- Phenol output stood at 220,000 tons in 2023, with demand from resins sector
- Acetone production in Brazil was 150,000 tons in 2022, 80% derived from cumene process
- Brazil produced 1.2 million tons of urea fertilizers in 2023, from domestic ammonia plants
- Phosphate fertilizer production totaled 6.5 million tons in 2022, with MAP at 40% share
- Potash production was minimal at 50,000 tons in 2023, heavily reliant on imports
- Brazil's paint and varnish production reached 4.2 million tons in 2022, led by water-based paints
- Soap and detergent output was 2.8 million tons in 2023, with linear alkylbenzene sulfonate key input
- Pharmaceutical chemical intermediates production hit 250,000 tons in 2022
- Agrochemical active ingredients manufactured 85,000 tons in 2023, glyphosate dominant
- Brazil's rubber chemicals production was 120,000 tons in 2022, supporting tire industry
- Adhesives and sealants output totaled 650,000 tons in 2023, growing 7%
- In 2022, textile chemicals production reached 180,000 tons, with dyes at 55%
- Leather chemicals output was 95,000 tons in 2023, tannins primary
Production Statistics Interpretation
While Brazil's chemical industry shows impressive growth in petrochemicals and fertilizers, the sector still walks a tightrope between self-sufficiency in some areas and a precarious dependence on imports for essentials like potash.
Trade (Exports/Imports)
- Brazil exported chemicals worth USD 18.5 billion in 2022, 12% of total exports
- Chemical imports to Brazil totaled USD 35.2 billion in 2023, fertilizers 45% share
- Brazil's ethylene derivatives exports reached USD 2.1 billion in 2022, to Latin America mainly
- Polyethylene exports from Brazil were 450,000 tons valued at USD 1.2 billion in 2023
- Brazil imported 25 million tons of fertilizers in 2022, cost USD 20 billion
- Chemical exports to Argentina totaled USD 1.8 billion in 2023, soaps and plastics key
- Imports of petrochemical feedstocks like naphtha were 4.5 million tons in 2022, USD 3.8 billion
- Brazil's PVC exports stood at 150,000 tons in 2023, value USD 450 million
- Caustic soda exports reached 120,000 tons in 2022, primarily to Mercosur
- Fertilizer imports from Russia were USD 4.2 billion in 2023, 22% of total
- Brazil exported USD 1.5 billion in paints and varnishes in 2022
- Pharmaceutical chemicals imports totaled USD 8 billion in 2023, APIs dominant
- Agrochemical exports from Brazil hit USD 2.8 billion in 2022, to EU and Asia
- Soap exports were USD 900 million in 2023, Latin America 60%
- Plastics exports totaled 1.2 million tons, USD 3.5 billion in 2022
- Industrial gases exports value was USD 250 million in 2023
- Water treatment chemicals imports reached USD 1.2 billion in 2022
- Adhesives exports stood at USD 400 million in 2023
- Textile chemicals exports were USD 300 million in 2022
- Rubber chemicals imports totaled USD 650 million in 2023
- Leather chemicals trade balance was negative USD 150 million in 2022
- Brazil's chemical trade deficit widened to USD 16.7 billion in 2023
- Exports of fine chemicals reached USD 500 million in 2022
- Specialty chemicals imports were USD 4.5 billion in 2023
Trade (Exports/Imports) Interpretation
Brazil's chemical industry is caught in a costly paradox, feeding the world's farms and factories with its exports while its own massive appetite for imports—especially fertilizers—leaves it with a sobering $16.7 billion trade deficit.
Sources & References
- Reference 1ABIQUIMabiquim.org.brVisit source
- Reference 2ANPanp.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 3IBGEibge.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 4ANDAanda.org.brVisit source
- Reference 5STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 6CONABconab.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 7PETROBRASpetrobras.com.brVisit source
- Reference 8ABRAFATIabrafati.com.brVisit source
- Reference 9FARMANGUINHOSfarmanguinhos.fiocruz.brVisit source
- Reference 10SINDIVEGsindiveg.org.brVisit source
- Reference 11ANFAZanfaz.org.brVisit source
- Reference 12ABITabit.org.brVisit source
- Reference 13CICBcicb.org.brVisit source
- Reference 14MORDORINTELLIGENCEmordorintelligence.comVisit source
- Reference 15INTERFARMAinterfarma.org.brVisit source
- Reference 16CROPLIFEBRASILcropLifebrasil.orgVisit source
- Reference 17ABIPRODabiprod.com.brVisit source
- Reference 18TREATISEtreatise.com.brVisit source
- Reference 19BRASDISTRUBUIDORAbrasdistrubuidora.com.brVisit source
- Reference 20FINEPfinep.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 21MDICmdic.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 22COMEXSTATcomexstat.mdic.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 23PLASTICOplastico.com.brVisit source
- Reference 24ABIPLASTabiplast.org.brVisit source
- Reference 25SENAIsenai.brVisit source