Myth debunked: capitals are NOT always better to live in — data from 5,570 cities prove it

Curitiba vs Warsaw: who wins in development indicators in 2026?

Top 5 HDI in Brazil: inland wins

#CityStatTypeHDI1São Caetano do SulSPInland0.8622Águas de São PedroSPInland0.8543FlorianópolisSCCapital0.8474VitóriaESCapital0.8455Balneário CamboriúSCInland0.845

Average HDI by region: where to live better?

RegionMunicipalitiesAverage HDILevelSouth1,1720.714HighSoutheast1,6430.699MediumCenterWest4590.690MediumNorth4410.608MediumNortheast1,7670.591Low

The worst HDI in Brazil: all inland

If inland dominates the top, it also dominates the bottom. The 5 cities with the lowest HDI in Brazil are all municipalities inland from the Amazon and Maranhão:

Melgaço (PA) — HDI 0.418 (the lowest in Brazil)

Fernando Falcão (MA) — HDI 0.443

Atalaia do Norte (AM) — HDI 0.450

Marajá do Sena (MA) — HDI 0.452

Chaves (PA) — HDI 0.453

The verdict: the myth is true on average, but false at the extremes. Capitals have a higher average HDI than inland (0.777 vs 0.659), but the best cities to live in Brazil are inland — just as the worst are.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which capital has the highest HDI in Brazil?

Florianópolis (SC) leads among capitals with an HDI of 0.847, followed by Vitória (ES) with 0.845. Both fall behind São Caetano do Sul and Águas de São Pedro in the overall ranking.

Which inland city has the highest HDI in Brazil?

São Caetano do Sul (SP), with an HDI of 0.862, is the municipality with the highest HDI in Brazil — and it is inland from Greater São Paulo.

In which regions does inland surpass capitals?

In the South and Southeast it is more common to find inland cities with HDI close to or higher than regional capitals. In the North and Northeast, capitals still have a great advantage over inland areas.

Is this data current?

Municipal HDI uses data from UNDP/IBGE 2010. The 2022 Census provided new population data. An update of municipal HDI by UNDP is expected to include more recent data.

Sources: IBGE Census 2022, UNDP/IBGE Municipal HDI 2010, Score de Cidades. Total: 5,570 municipalities analyzed.

Explore all data from your city on Score de Cidades — Brazil's largest territorial intelligence database.