Cities and Favelas 2026: X-Ray of Irregular Areas in Brazil

1. Belém (PA) | The Highest National Proportion

• % in Irregular Areas: 55.5% | Impact: More than half of the Pará capital lives in areas of informal occupation or lowlands, requiring unique urbanization strategies.

2. Manaus (AM) | The Stilt Houses Challenge

• % in Irregular Areas: 53.3% | Impact: Amazonian geography imposes extreme logistical challenges for basic infrastructure in these areas.

3. Salvador (BA) | Informal Verticalization

• % in Irregular Areas: 41.8% | Impact: With rugged topography, Salvador has the highest concentration of housing on monitored hillsides.

Comparative Table: Absolute Volume vs. Proportion

Insights for the Market and Public Policies

• Periphery Economy: Although informal, these areas drive billions in consumption. Brands that adapt their packaging and payment methods (focus on Pix and microcredit) dominate these markets.
• Popular Verticalization: In cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, slums are becoming increasingly verticalized, which alters demographic density per m² and overloads local electrical infrastructure.
• Sanitation in 2026: The Sanitation Framework has in these cities its greatest battlefield; the regularization of these areas is the only path to achieve universalization goals.

Sources: IBGE Census (Aggregate by Sectors), Population Projections 2025/2026 and Infrastructure Data from City Score.