Volume of services in Brazil changed 0.2% in April 2025 compared with the previous month, when it had advanced 0.4%. It is the third consecutive positive figure, leading to a cumulative gain of 1.5%. Compared with April 2024, the sector expanded 1.8%, the 13th positive rate in a row. The positive change this month was mainly leveraged by the transportation activity, which grew 0.5%. With the April´s result, the services sector is 0.2% below the peak of the time series, reached in October 2024. Concerning the pre-pandemic level, total volume of services is 17.3% above February 2020. These are data from the Monthly Survey of Services - PMS, released today (13) by the IBGE.

The transportation activity (0.5%) was the only one to show a positive performance in April. It was the third consecutive positive figure, with a cumulative gain of 2.8%. The others registered negative figures. Having recorded the second consecutive drop, Other services (-2.3%) reported a cumulative loss of 2.6%. The other retreats came from Professional, administrative and complementary services (-0.5%), Information and communication (-0.2%) and Services rendered to families (-0.1%), all of them offsetting some gains accumulated in recent months: of 1.8% in the first sector, of 3.9% in the second one and of 2.0% in the last sector.

"In April, the positive result of the services sector (0.2%) joins the increases registered in the months of February and March, accumulating a rise of 1.5% in the last three months. The recent path of the sector is mainly impacted by an improvement in the transportation sector, as well as by a higher dynamism of information technology services and technical-professional services," highlights Luiz Almeida, an analyst of the survey.

"The transportation sector accumulates a rise of 2.8% in the last three months. The higher dynamism comes with a more robust harvest than last year, impacting on the transportation chain of inputs and products. In April, the rise is concentrated in passenger transportation, which grew 1.8%," adds Almeida.

In the cumulative index over the first four-month period this year, volume of services expanded 2.2% in relation to the same period in 2024. Having advanced 2.7% in April 2025, the cumulative index over the last 12 months decelerated the growth pace when compared with March (3.1%).

Passenger transportation (1.8%) grew, yet cargo transportation (-0.3%) retreated

For the third time in a row, volume of passenger transportation rose in Brazil, recording 1.8% in April compared with the previous month. The cumulative gain in the period hit 6.8%. In this reference month, this segment is 4.6% above the level of February 2020 (pre-pandemic) and 19.7% below that of February 2014 (peak of the time series).

In its turn, volume of cargo transportation fell 0.3% in April 2025, after a cumulative gain of 1.8% between February and March. As a result, this segment is 7.1% below the peak of the time series, reached in July 2023. In comparison with the pre-pandemic level, cargo transportation is 34.8% above that of February 2020.

Services grow in 18 out of 27 Federation Units

In regional terms, most (18) of the 27 Federation Units expanded in volume of services in April 2025 compared with March, following the slight growth recorded in the national result (0.2%).

The most important impact came from São Paulo (0.8%), followed by Pernambuco (5.3%), Mato Grosso (2.8%) and Minas Gerais (0.6%). Conversely, Rio de Janeiro (-3.2%), Bahia (-2.4%) and Goiás (-3.2%) were responsible for the major negative contributions in April.

Services grew 1.8% over April 2024

Compared with April 2024, the expansion of volume of services in Brazil (1.8%) was followed by 19 out of 27 Federation Units. São Paulo (2.7%) was the state with the biggest positive contribution, followed by Federal District (8.9%), Santa Catarina (5.2%), Rio de Janeiro (1.3%) and Mato Grosso (5.8%). On the other hand, Rio Grande do Sul (-8.6%) was the negative highlight this month.

Tourism activities expanded 3.2% in April

In April 2025, the index of tourism activities grew 3.2% over the immediately previous month, after retreating 0.1% in March. With that performance, the tourism sector is 13.2% above the level of February 2020 and 0.5% below the peak of the time series, reached in December 2024.

In regional terms, 11 out of 17 places surveyed followed the advance reported by the national tourism activity (3.2%). São Paulo (3.4%) exerted the most intense positive influence, followed by Rio de Janeiro (1.6%), Rio Grande do Sul (5.7%) and Goiás (10.8%). Conversely, Minas Gerais (-1.1%) and Santa Catarina (-1.3%) registered the most significant losses.

According to the PMS analyst, the growth in the tourism activities in April was mainly due to the increase noticed in air transportation and road mass transportation."

In the comparison between April 2025 and the same month a year ago, the index of volume of tourism activities in Brazil grew 9.3%, the 11th positive rate in a row. The main reason was the increase in the revenue of companies that work in the sectors of air transportation of passengers, hotels and reservation services related to accommodation.

Fifteen out of 17 Federation Units in which the indicator is investigated advanced in services aimed at tourism, highlighted by São Paulo (10.1%) and Rio de Janeiro (20,.%), followed by Bahia (15.1%), Pernambuco (8.6%), Goiás (13.5%) and Santa Catarina (7.6%). Conversely, Minas Gerais (-3.2%) and Mato Grosso (-7.0%) exerted the main negative impacts this month.

More about the survey 

The Monthly Survey of Services produces indicators to monitor the short-term behavior of the services sector in Brazil. The survey investigates the gross revenue from services in formal enterprises employing 20 or more persons, in which the main activity is a non-financial service, excluding the areas of health and education. It produces results for Brazil and all the Federation Units. The results are available on Sidra. The next release of the Monthly Survey of Services, related to May, will be on July 11.