The chapter provides a baseline for the rest of the report, which examines the effectiveness of Brazil’s environmental policies in tackling key challenges and in using environmental objectives to generate economic and social opportunities. It enjoyed strong economic growth over most of the 2000s, with average annual GDP growth well above the OECD average, though below the economic performance of other BRIICS economies (Figure 1.1, also see Basic Statistics). Per capita income increased by around 30% between 2000 and 2013, allowing about 40 million Brazilians to enter the middle class.