The results of the Regional Accounts of 2004,  published by the IBGE in partnership with the state governments, show that, in relation to 2003, only the North (from 5% to 5.3%) and the Northeast Region (13.8% to 14.1% ) gained participation in the GDP of the country.  In the North Region the result shows the good performance of Pará (6.6%) and of Amazonas (11.5%) which, due to the good performance of industry and agriculture, had a performance above the national average (4.9%).  Besides this, in the North Region, the states of Rondônia, Acre, Amazonas, Amapá and Tocantins reached, in 2004, the best participation in the series 1985-2004.  In the Northeast Region, the states of Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Piauí and Sergipe were the ones which presented the best results.  The good performance of the Northeast Region was influenced, mainly, by Bahia which increased by 9.6%, in 2004, registering the best year of the series 1985-2004.  Still in Bahia, agriculture increased by 12% and industry by 17%.  In agriculture, soybeans recorded a growth of 52% and cotton 155%.  The industry of Bahia stood out with petroleum refining (27%) and with the production of automobiles (56%). 

From 2003 to 2004, the Southeast Region recorded a reduction in the participation from 55.2% to 54.9%.  In this period, only the state of Espírito Santo increased from 1.9% to 2%, influenced by the agricultural sector which increased 9%.  São Paulo (6.4%), which had the best participation since 1986, reached the sixth best result between the states.  The industry of manufacturing had the best year of its history increasing by 10.8%.  This performance was influenced by the increase in the production of automobiles (29%), communication equipment (45%) and machines and equipment (21%).  On the other hand, the production of oranges and sugar cane, which represents 60% of the agricultural sector of the state, had decrease in its prices, which caused the participation of the activity in the GDP of the state decrease from 7.7%, in 2003, to 6.5% in 2004.  In Rio de Janeiro the highlight was the manufacturing industry which increased by 3.8% after the reduction observed in the previous year.

The reduction in the agricultural production was responsible for the decrease of 0.4% in the participation of the South Region, from 2003 to 2004.  In the case of crops, a strong drought in the region caused a reduction of 3.3% in the volume of activity in Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul.  In Santa Catarina, the production of tobacco, which increased approximately by 34%, contributed for the good performance of the state.

From 2003 to 2004, the Central West Region maintained its participation in the GDP (7.5%).  In this region, where agriculture is the most intense economic activity, loss was observed in the production in 2004. The states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás had reduction in the crop of soybeans and beans.  Only Mato Grosso maintained its growing rhythm. 

Performance of the economy in 2004 and participation in the GDP 2003 and 2004

Federal District continues with the major GDP per capita of the Country 

In relation to the GDP per capita (1) , the major value continues to be recorded by the Federal District (R$ 19,071.00). Nevertheless, due to the low economic performance of the federal capital, the distance in relation to the average of Brazil decreased.  In 2000, the GDP per capita of the Federal District was 2.2 times the income of Brazil and in 2004, it fell to 2 times.

In 2004, the GDP per capita of the states of Mato Grosso (R$ 10,162.00) and Espírito Santo (R$ 10,289.00), which during the series were reducing their distance in relation to the Brazilian average, for the first time recorded results above the average of the country (R$ 9,729.00).  In relation to 2004, the GDP per capita of Amazonas was higher than the one of Paraná due to the good performance of its economy, Mato Grosso passed Mato Grosso do Sul and Amapá passed Rondônia. Roraima lost its place to Acre and Pará and Ceará passed Paraíba.

Rio de Janeiro (R$ 14,639.00) maintained the second place in the ranking of GDP per capita, followed by São Paulo (R$ 13,725.00).  The worst results continued to be recorded by Maranhão (R$ 2,892.00) and by Piauí (R$ 2,748.00), although due to the good performance of their economy in the year of 2004, the two states are closer,  in relation to the average of the country, with results unprecedented in the series. In the year it was observed the shortest distance of the two states in relation to the Brazilian GDP per capita, approximately 30% of the average.

In relation to 2003, the states of Amazonas, Acre, Mato Grosso, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Maranhão and Piauí had the best performances in the reduction of the income per capita in relation to the Brazilian income.

In the result accumulated in the series, Mato Grosso continues on the top

In the result accumulated in the series, the leader still is the state of Mato Grosso (315%), followed closely by Amazonas (314%), with an average growth in 18 years of 7.7% per year.  The result of Mato Grosso shows the expansion of the agricultural frontier and of the industry related to this activity.  In Amazonas, the growth is related to the industrial nucleus of SUFRAMA (Superintendence of the Free Trade Zone of Manaus) .  Also Amapá and Roraima had a good performance in the series (133% and 156%, respectively) and contributed for the best performance of the North Region (172%).

The Southeast Region (47%) was the only one with a performance below the Brazilian average (63%).  In this sense, the worst results were observed in Rio de Janeiro (36%) and São Paulo (46%), with an average growth of approximately 1.6% and 2.4% per year, respectively.

The Northeast Region, which increases in the series the same way as in the Brazilian average, registered the best performance in the series 1985-2004, especially Maranhão (91%) and Rio Grande do Norte (90%).

In the South Region, the best performance was of Paraná (108%) followed by Santa Catarina (95%).  Rio Grande do Sul had a result below the Brazilian average (56%).

In the period from 1994 to 2004, the best performance was of Amazonas which increased 138%, with an average of 9% per year. Mato Grosso increased by 90% with an average of 6.6% per year, and had also important results in this period. The worst performances were observed in the states of Alagoas (20%), Rio de Janeiro (22%) and Rio Grande do Sul (22%), which registered in this period a growth of approximately 2% per year, below the Brazilian average which was 2.8%.  In this period, the Northeast and South Regions increased similarly to the average of the country and the North and Central West Regions were above, due to the good performance of agriculture and the industry related to this activity, and the dynamism of the industry of Amazonas.

(1) GDP per capita is the Gross Domestic Product divided by the population of the year of reference.