Floods hit 1,543 municipalities (27.7%) between 2008 and 2012, adding up to 8,942 incidents and leaving 1.4 million persons homeless or displaced. Downpours hit 1,574 cities (28.3%) and added up to 13,244 incidents and 777.5 thousand homeless or displaced. Inundations hit 2,065 municipalities (37.1%), erosions hit 1,113 cities (20.0%) and slippages or landslides, 895 (16.0%). This was the first time that the Survey of Basic Municipal Information (MUNIC) investigated specific issues on urban planning concerning prevention, mitigation and management of risks and natural disasters. The survey showed that 33.0% of the municipalities had at least one out of the seven instruments of planning surveyed. It showed also that 33.0% of them had at least one instrument of management of natural disasters due to floods and downpours and that 21.1% had at least one instrument related to slippages or landslides.

MUNIC also showed that the number of municipalities structured to formulate, coordinate and implement policies for women changed from 1,043 (18.7%) to 1,533 (27.5%) between 2009 and 2013, a growth of 8.8 percentage points. Women were responsible for 51.2% of the municipal agencies of health in 2013, though the percentage dropped to 13.2% in the municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.

In 2013, 21.5% of the municipalities started to implement the Agenda 21, aimed at formulating a strategic action program towards local sustainable development through public policies. This percentage was higher than that in 2009 (19.9%) and in 2012 (18.1%), though lower than that in 2002 (29.7%). The percentage of municipalities with specific environmental legislation also rose in 2013, changing from 55.4% in 2012 to 65.5%.

The number of persons employed in the direct and indirect administrations added up to 6.36 million of servants in 2013. It represented an increase of 1.2% compared with the previous year, or more 77,917 persons.

MUNIC 2013 included information concerning the administration and structure of the municipalities through the collection of data on seven subjects: profile of municipal managers, human resources, legislation and planning instruments, health, environment, gender policy and risk management and reaction to natural disasters. The survey investigated all the 5,570 municipalities in its 11th edition, which included the five new ones established in 2013. The data were collected between March and November 2013 with the city halls and their departments. The complete publication can be accessed on link https://www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/economia/perfilmunic/2013/.

Risk management and reaction to natural disasters: 2,065 municipalities hit by floods between 2008 and 2012

2,065 municipalities (37.1%) in Brazil were hit by floods along five years before the survey. The highest concentration was in the Southeast (45.2%) and South (43.5%) Regions and the lowest, in the Central-West (19%). In the Southeast, Rio de Janeiro (88.0%) and Espírito Santo (71.8%) registered the highest percentages. In the South, the highest percentage was in Santa Catarina (60.3%). In the whole country, 97.4% of the municipalities above 500 thousand inhabitants were hit by floods. Erosions took place in 1,113 municipalities (20.0%). Amazonas (43.5%), Espírito Santo (44.9%) and Rio de Janeiro (55.4%) recorded the highest percentages of incidents.

Floods hit 1,543 municipalities (27.7%) between 2008 and 2012, adding up to 8,942 incidents and leaving 1.4 million persons homeless or displaced. Downpours hit 1,574 cities (28.3%) and added up to 13,244 incidents and 777.5 thousand homeless or displaced. More than 900 cities were affected by both events.

895 municipalities were hit by slippages or landslides, mainly caused by the infiltration of rainwater combined with changes in the natural conditions of relief, like cuts for building houses, roads, embankments and other constructions. The municipalities above 500 thousand inhabitants accounted for 71.8% of the total hit. The Southeast and Northeast Regions together posted 27,940 (90.5%) of the 30,858 slippages or landslides along the five years before the survey, leaving 303.6 thousand homeless or displaced in Brazil. Pernambuco registered 5,910 incidents, followed by São Paulo (4,981) and Rio de Janeiro (4,969). Hillsides subject to landslides and irregularly occupied concentrated 48% of the slippage events in the municipalities.

Nearly half of the municipalities did not manage risks and natural disasters.

In 2013, 51.9% of the municipalities (2,892) had at least one out of the 12 instruments of urban planning surveyed. Which meant that 2,676 municipalities (48.0%) did not any action to manage risks and natural disasters. 

While 71.1% of the municipalities above 500 thousand inhabitants had some prevention instrument, only 26.6% of those up to 5 thousand inhabitants had them. The North and South Regions recorded the highest percentages (38.3%), followed by the Southeast (37.4%), Northeast (35.4%) and Central-West (31.6%).

33.0% of the municipalities (1,840) had at least one measure or instrument of risk management due to floods or downpours and 21.1% (1,175) had at least one action or instrument of risk management due to slippages or landslides in hillsides.

Gender policy: Growing number of municipalities with policies for women

MUNIC 2013 showed that 27.5% of the municipalities (1,533) were structured to formulate, coordinate and implement policies for women. They were 18.7% when this subject was firstly investigated in 2009. 12.9% of the municipalities with up to 5 thousand inhabitants had such structure; the percentage rose to 97.5% in those above 500 thousand inhabitants. Nearly 70% of the municipalities (3,852) had less than 20 thousand inhabitants and less than one quarter of them (739) were structured to manage gender policies. Compared with 2009, the average cities were those that created most structures to manage gender policies. The municipalities between 10 thousand and 20 thousand inhabitants posted an increase of 71.5%, yet the highest changes in percentage points (p.p.) were registered in the municipalities between 50 thousand and 100 thousand inhabitants (13.9 p.p.). 

Encompassing 1,668 municipalities, the Southeast Region recorded the lowest percentage of municipalities structured to manage gender policies (22.2%). Rio de Janeiro reported the highest proportion (56.5%) and Minas Gerais, the lowest (19%). The Northeast was the region that posted the highest percentage of structured municipalities (33.6% of the 1,794 municipalities). The rate reached 77.3% in Pernambuco, whereas it stayed at 14.3% in Paraíba.

61.2% (938) out of the 1,533 municipalities with a management agency of gender policy carried out actions for specific groups. The main population groups focused were the elderly - with actions in 83.7% of the municipalities (785) - and disabled women (47.9% or 449). The Indian (149 municipalities or 15.9%), lesbian (246 municipalities or 26.2%) and black women (357 municipalities or 38.1%) were the categories in which the municipal administrations least acted with policies.

Concerning the articulation with other agencies to include the gender perspective into the public policies, 84% of the municipalities (1,195) fitted this criterion. In 2009, this percentage was 76.5%. The main areas of articulation were social assistance (87.4%), health (77.0%) and education (75.1%).

As to the implementation of municipal-managed home-shelters in accordance with Maria da Penha Law, only 2.5% of the municipalities provided such structures after seven years of the publication of the law. The 3,852 municipalities up to 20 thousand inhabitants added up to 16 home-shelters. As to those above 500 thousand inhabitants, 61.5% had this kind of structure.

Environment: 90% of municipalities with environmental agencies

In 2013, 90.0% of the municipalities had an agency to deal with the environment. This percentage was 67.8% in 2002, advancing to 84.5% in 2009. The highest percentages were in the North (98.0%), South (95.0%) and Central-West Regions (92.3%), followed by the Southeast (89.0%) and the Northeast (85.2%). Only three states had all their municipalities structured in the environmental area: Acre (22 municipalities), Amapá (16) and Espírito Santo (78). In relative terms, the existence of an administrative structure in the environmental area grew from the less populated (82.3% of the municipalities up to 5 thousand inhabitants) to the more populated municipalities (97.4% among those above 500 thousand inhabitants).

Also in 2013, 21.5% of the municipalities started to implement the Agenda 21, aimed at formulating a strategic action program towards local sustainable development through public policies. This percentage was higher than that in 2009 (19.9%) and in 2012 (18.1%), though lower than that in 2002 (29.7%). Such an advance was spread along all the Major Regions and ranges of population size, highlighted by the North Region, whose percentage of municipalities that already started the Agenda 21 changed from 30.3% in 2012 to 37.1%. Concerning the ranges of population size, the highest increase was registered in the range between 20 and 50 thousand inhabitants, changing from 23.3% in 2012 to 28.7%. The states in which the municipal Agenda 21 was more disseminated were Rio de Janeiro (66.3%), Tocantins (51.1%) and Amapá (50.0%). 287 (5.2%) of all the Brazilian municipalities were still implementing Agenda 21 actions into public policies, whereas 440 (7.9%) of them were unaware of the Agenda 21.

The percentage of municipalities with specific environmental legislation also rose, changing from 55.4% in 2012 to 65.5% in 2013. The highest increases were in the North (from 63.7% to 77.8%) and Central-West (from 54.1% to 66.2%) Regions and in the municipalities up to 5 thousand inhabitants, whose incidence changed from 44.4% in 2012 to 56.3% in 2013.

41% of municipalities with initiatives in the area of sustainable consumption

41.0% of all the Brazilian municipalities had some initiatives in the area of sustainable consumption, like campaigns, legislation or partnerships. The highest incidences were in the Southeast (46.0%) and South (44.5%) Regions, followed by the North (40.4%), Central-West (36.2%) and Northeast (35.5%) Regions. In terms of states, the highest incidences were in São Paulo (63.1%) and Ceará (58.7%) and the lowest, in Piauí (21.0%) and Paraíba (24.2%).

The percentage of municipalities implementing initiatives in the area of sustainable consumption increased with the increase in the ranges of population size, from the range between 5 and 10 thousand (31.8%) and reaching 76.9% in the municipalities above 500 thousand inhabitants. The most frequent initiatives in the municipalities which implemented them were related to the reduction in the consumption of water and energy (47.8%), reduction in the use of plastic bags (40.0%), use of environmental criteria in procurement or public bidding (19.0%) and environmental sustainability of public institutions, like the environmental agenda of the public administration (18.2%). The incidence of other initiatives was 53.1%.

Health: 88.9% of municipalities have exclusive health departments

In 2013, 4,948 municipalities (88.9%) had departments exclusively in the area of health. In 2009, they were 4,593 (82.5%) municipalities. Municipal departments that managed health together with other policies were reported in 8.3% of the municipalities in Brazil. Management agencies of health in the indirect administration were recorded in 16 municipalities. Only two municipalities reported the absence of a specific structure to manage health policies.

MUNIC unveiled that 2,850 (51.2%) municipal agencies were managed by women and 2,716 (48.8%), by men. The proportion of women reduced as the population size of the municipalities increased. For those above 500 thousand inhabitants, the female participation as manager of the health agency was 13.2%. 47.6% of those in charge of the health area were aged between 41 and 60 years, 44.7% were aged between 26 and 40 years, 4.6% above 60 years and 2.7% (149 municipalities) between 18 and 25 years. As to the schooling level, 4,097 (73.6%) managers of the municipal agencies of health had higher education (41.9%) or post-graduation (31.7%); 1,256 (22.6 %) had only the secondary level and 168 (3.0%), only the primary level. In 2013, 1,151 (28.1%) municipal agencies of health were managed by nurses, 433 (10.6%) by business administrators and 385 (9.4%) by doctors.

99.7% of municipalities with municipal councils of health

MUNIC surveyed the number of municipalities structured to follow up, manage and assess the implementation of health budgets. In 2013, 5,553 (99.7%) of the municipalities had a Municipal Council of Health; in 2009, they were 97.3%. Concerning the activities, 98.8% of the municipalities with councils carried out meetings in the last 12 months. Only 198 (3.6%) reported not to have a joint composition and 536 (9.7%) were not considered deliberative. The inexistence of Municipal Health Plans was reported by 292 (5.2%) municipalities.

Among the municipalities structured to manage health, nine did not have a Municipal Health Fund. 4,676 municipalities (84.1%) out of those which answered positively reported that the municipal health agencies were responsible for the Municipal Health Fund. In 553 municipalities (10.0%), the health fund was directly managed by the mayor´s office; in 70 municipalities (1.3%), the health fund was under the responsibility of other departments; and in 102 (1.8%), it was managed by another administrative structure. In 127 municipalities (2.3%), the Municipal Health Fund was self-managed, whereas 29 did not know what to report.

Social organizations are privately-owned service providers of public interest. During 2013, 1,216 (21.8%) municipalities hired health services through social organizations. The municipalities in the Southeast (29.7%) and South (28.4%) Regions were those that mostly hired under this type of agreement. Among the 39 municipalities above 500 thousand inhabitants, 22 (56.4%) hired services through social organizations.

Human resources in the municipal administration: 6.36 million employed persons

The number of persons employed in the direct and indirect municipal administrations added up to 6.36 million of servants in 2013, representing 3.0% of the population. 6.03 million of them, who represented 94.9% of the servants, were linked to the direct administration, while 325.54 thousand (5.1% of the servants) were linked to the indirect administration.

Compared with 2012, the number of employed persons in the direct administration increased by 0.8%, corresponding to an absolute increase of 47,343 persons. The indirect administration increased the total number of servants by 10.4%.

The direct and indirect administrations registered a continuous increase of human resources between 2005 and 2013. In 2005, the direct administration added up to 4,494,154 persons and the indirect administration, 273,448 persons. In 2013, these figures rose 34.2% in the direct administration and 19.0% in the indirect administration.

The total number of employed persons in the direct and indirect administrations increased 1.2% between 2012 and 2013, reaching 77,917 persons. The persons without permanent employment contract increased by 6.1% and the statutory servants increased by 1.9%. On the other hand, the number of trainees (-12.4%), commissioned-only employees (-2.2%) and CLT employees (-1.3%) decreased.

Profile of municipal managers: percentage of female mayors rises to 12%

In 2001, 6% of the municipal heads were women, a percentage that has been rising along the time up to duplicate in 2013 (12%). The average age of mayors between 2005 and 2013 remained stable around 48 years, though the average age of women was slightly lower (around 47 years).

The percentage of those with complete or incomplete higher education (or more) changed from 40% in 2001 to 60% in 2013. While the percentage of female and male mayors with the secondary level (complete or not) ranged around 30% between 2001 (32%) and 2013 (30%), the percentage of those with primary level retracted from 28% to 10%.

Legislation and planning instruments: 50% of municipalities with urban master plans

MUNIC 2013 investigated the existence of instruments of urban policies, described in the City Statute and. in addition to the Urban Master Plan, aimed at regulating the use and occupation of the urban land In 2013, 50.0% (2,785) of the municipalities had a Urban Master Plan, 13.7% (763) were still developing it and 36.2% (2,019) did not have any plan.

Only 5.1%, 17.2% and 30.4% of the municipalities up to 5 thousand inhabitants had Urban Master Plans in 2005, 2009 and 2013, respectively. On the other hand, all the municipalities above 500 thousand inhabitants reported to have plans since 2009. 178 (10.4%) out of the 1,718 municipalities above 20 thousand inhabitants that needed to develop an Urban Master Plan - whose deadline was October 2006 according to the City Statute - did not do it in 2013. Among them, 108 (6.3%) stated that the plan was underway.