The country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew (1.1%) in the first quarter of the year, compared to the 4th quarter of 2025, totaling R$ 3.3 trillion, with positive results in all three sectors - Agriculture (2.0%), Industry (1.0%), and Services (0.5%). Compared to the 1st quarter of 2025, the pace of the economy advanced 1.8%, while in the cumulative total of the last four quarters, the GDP registered an increase of 2.0%.

In current values, R$3.3 trillion were generated, with R$2.8 trillion referring to Value Added (VA) at basic prices and R$461.2 billion to Net Taxes on Products. The data are from the System of Quarterly National Accounts, released today (29) by the IBGE.

Among industrial activities, Mining (3.6%) and Construction (2.9%) had positive performance, while Manufacturing remained stable (0.1%). There was drop in the activity Electricity and gas, water, sewage, waste management activities (-0.3%). The industrial sector corresponds to approximately 23% of the value added.

Among Services activities, which account for approximately 70% of the country's economy, there was growth in the quarter, compared to the 4th quarter of last year, in Information and communication (2.4%), Real estate activities (1.2%), Other service activities (0.8%), Trade (0.6%) and Administration, defense, public health and education and social security (0.4%). On the other hand, Transportation, storage and mailing (-0.7%) and Financial activities, insurance and related services (-0.6%) fell.

"GDP growth, in the seasonally adjusted series, was close to that of Industry, with Services driving average growth downwards and Agriculture upwards. It is not possible to add seasonally adjusted results but, in general terms, this was the growth profile by group of activities in the quarter", highlights the IBGE National Accounts coordinator, Ricardo Montes de Moraes. “Taking into account their weight in the GDP, the activities that contributed most to growth were Agriculture, Mining and Other service activities”, he adds.

Household Consumption Expenditure (1.0%) and Gross Fixed Capital Formation (3.5%) expanded, as did Government Consumption Expenditure (0.4%). With regard to the external sector, Exports of Goods and Services had a negative change of 1.7% while Imports of Goods and Services grew 4.4% in relation to the 4th quarter of 2025.

The coordinator explains that after the end of 2025 in which it was almost stable, in the 1st quarter, family consumption grew at a pace close to that of the GDP. "It is the aggregate with the most weight among uses and contributed to the greatest growth of the economy this quarter. Investment (GFCF) grew 3.5% after falling 3.4% in the previous quarter (returning to the level it was at at the end of the 3rd quarter of last year). Even with a much smaller weight than consumption, it also had a significant contribution to growth in the first quarter of 2026. Government consumption grew less than in the last quarter and the previous one - with a lower contribution to growth, details Mr. Moraes.

GDP grows 1.8% compared to Q1 2025

Compared to the same period in 2025, the GDP grew by 1.8% in the first quarter of 2026. The Value Added at basic prices increased by 1.8% and Net Taxes on Products increased by 1.9%.

All Services activities increased: Information and communication (7.6%), Real Estate Activities (2.9%), Financial, insurance and related services activities (2.8%), Other service activities (2.4%), Trade (1.0%), Administration, defense, public health and education and social security (1.1%) and Transportation, storage and mailing (0.7%).

Among industrial activities, Mining and Quarrying Industries (13.1%) stood out, driven by the Extraction of Petroleum and Natural Gas, as well as Construction (1.3%), whose positive change is in line with the growth of employed persons and hours worked in the activity. The activity of Electricity and gas, water, sewage, waste management activities (-1.7%) and Manufacturing (-0.9%) showed a drop. In the case of Manufacturing, the drop was driven by Printing and reproduction of recorded media (-10.2%) and Manufacture of machinery and equipment (-9.4%).

The rate of Agriculture can be explained by the growth in production and productivity gains in crops. According to the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA/IBGE), favorable weather conditions in most of the country's producing regions and the expansion of the planted area boosted soybean cultivation which, with an increase of 4.8% in the annual production estimate, reached record production in the time series. On the other hand, other agricultural products, whose harvests are also significant in the first quarter, registered a drop in the annual estimate for both production and productivity, such as, for example, corn (-2.5%) and rice (-10.6%).

In the first quarter of 2026, Household Consumption Expenditure recorded an increase of 1.7%. Government Consumption Expenditure (2.8%) also increased compared to the first quarter of 2025.

Gross Fixed Capital Formation fell 1.4% in the 1st quarter of 2026, being its second drop after three quarters of increases. Performance was affected by the drop in the production of capital goods (-6.3%).

“The fall in the production of capital goods between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 was responsible for the fall in investment (Gross Fixed Capital Formation) during this period. Even with growth in construction and the import of machinery and equipment, the fall in national production pulled the index down,” says the coordinator of National Accounts.

Exports of Goods and Services grew by 7.4%, while Imports of Goods and Services advanced by 1.2% in the first quarter of 2026. Among the exports of goods, the sectors with the greatest positive contribution were: Petroleum and natural gas extraction, Food products, and Other transportation equipment, except motor vehicles. In the import of goods, the increase was mainly due to: Motor vehicles, trailers and bodies, Petroleum derivatives, biofuels and coke, and Pharmaceutical and chemical products.

Learn more about the System of Quarterly National Accounts – SCNT:

The System of Quarterly National Accounts (NSS) presents current values ​​and volume indices on a quarterly basis for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at market prices, taxes on products, value added at basic prices, personal consumption, government consumption, gross fixed capital formation, inventory changes, exports and imports of goods and services. At the IBGE, the SCNT was initiated in 1988 and restructured from 1998 onwards, when its results were integrated into the annual System of National Accounts. The next release, relative to the 2nd quarter of 2026, is scheduled for September 1st.

What is the SCNT? 
Time Series 
Tables 
Publications