The Institute for Applied Economic Research

What The Institute for Applied Economic Research does

The Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea, legal name Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada) is a Brazilian federal public research institute (autarquia federal) founded in 1964 and attached to the Ministry of Planning and Budget (MPO). It operates as the Brazilian state's principal applied economics and public policy research body, providing technical and institutional support to federal government decision-making through macroeconomic modeling, statistical analysis, input-output methods, and systematic policy evaluation. The institute's statutory mandate is to qualify state decision-making and public debate, with research findings delivered via publications, databases, and direct advisory inputs to ministries, regulatory agencies, the National Congress, and the judiciary.

Ipea's product surface centers on a connected portfolio of open data platforms — Ipeadata (macroeconomic/socioeconomic time series), Atlas do Estado Brasileiro, Atlas da Violência, Índice de Vulnerabilidade Social (IVS), Atlas do Desenvolvimento Humano, Retrato das Desigualdades de Gênero e Raça, Mapa das Organizações da Sociedade Civil, Beneficiômetro da Seguridade Social, COBRADI, Acesso a Oportunidades, and Catálogo de Políticas Públicas — alongside publication series (Texto para Discussão, Nota Técnica, Livros, Boletins) and peer-reviewed journals (Revista Pesquisa e Planejamento Econômico, Revista Planejamento e Políticas Públicas, Revista Tempo do Mundo). The newest platform release is Atlas Econômico (July 2026) for input-output analysis, and the INCLUA platform (2025) embeds an AI assistant for drafting anti-racist action plans. Internal operations use SEI for electronic document management.

The institute's revenue model is non-commercial: Ipea is funded entirely through annual federal budget allocations routed via the MPO, with all publications, databases, and research outputs provided free of charge under Brazil's Lei de Acesso à Informação. Go-to-market is institutional: research is delivered through Termos de Execução Descentralizada (TEDs) and Acordos de Cooperação Técnica with more than 30 federal ministries, agencies, and public institutions (e.g., MS, MEC, MDS, MMA, MDHC, MPF, AGU, ENAP, BNDES, FINEP, UnB), and through open digital self-service via the ipea.gov.br portal, Ipeadata, podcasts, webinars, and media engagement.

Name

The Institute for Applied Economic Research

Legal name

Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea)

Website

https://ipea.gov.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) is a Brazilian federal public research institute, founded in 1964 and attached to the Ministry of Planning and Budget, which delivers applied economics and policy evaluation research, open macroeconomic data platforms, and peer-reviewed publications to the federal government, legislature, judiciary, and society free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Economic Research Services

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Administration of General Economic Programs (92611)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic & Macroeconomic Research (BPAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Applied economic research
• Public policy analysis
• Macroeconomic data platforms
• Government research institute
• Policy evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brasília

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Budget Allocation: Ipea operates as a federal public institute (autarquia federal) funded entirely through the annual federal budget (Orçamento da União). Revenue is allocated via the Ministry of Planning and Budget (MPO) to which the institute is administratively attached. Revenue and expenditure data are publicly disclosed via the Portal da Transparência.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) is a Brazilian federal public research institute (autarquia federal) that conducts applied economic research, maintains macroeconomic and socioeconomic databases (Ipeadata), produces analytical publications (Texto para Discussão, Nota Técnica, journals), and delivers evidence-based policy analysis and recommendations to the Brazilian federal government, legislature, judiciary, and broader society.

Product overview

Ipea operates a unified digital platform comprising multiple interconnected data portals and publication series. The portfolio centers on macroeconomic and socioeconomic data platforms (Ipeadata, Atlas do Estado Brasileiro, Índice de Vulnerabilidade Social, Atlas da Violência, Atlas do Desenvolvimento Humano, Retrato das Desigualdades, Mapa das Organizações da Sociedade Civil, COBRADI, Acesso a Oportunidades, Beneficiômetro, Catálogo de Políticas Públicas) alongside a publications division (Texto para Discussão, Nota Técnica, Livros, Revistas including Tempo do Mundo, PPE, PPP), supplemented by podcasts, webinars, and video content. The newer INCLUA platform incorporates AI assistance for policy planning. The institution also operates internal document management infrastructure (SEI). All offerings are free public information services aligned with Brazil's transparency legislation, with no commercial product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ipeadata Comprehensive macroeconomic and socioeconomic time-series database covering Brazilian economic and social indicators, maintained by Ipea as a primary open-data tool for researchers, policymakers, and the general public.
• Atlas do Estado Brasileiro Interactive atlas mapping the Brazilian state's institutional landscape, public policies, and administrative data across all Brazilian states.
• Índice de Vulnerabilidade Social (IVS) Index measuring social vulnerability across Brazilian municipalities using census data, providing a tool for policymakers and researchers.
• Atlas da Violência Interactive atlas documenting violence statistics and trends in Brazil, used to inform public security policy.
• Retrato das Desigualdades de Gênero e Raça Dashboard presenting gender and race inequality indicators in Brazil, supporting equality-related research and policy design.
• Mapa das Organizações da Sociedade Civil Interactive map cataloging civil society organizations in Brazil.
• Inclua Platform supporting racial equality management in public administration, featuring an AI assistant for drafting anti-racist action plans and providing thematic information pages.
• Atlas do Desenvolvimento Humano no Brasil Atlas presenting human development indicators across Brazilian municipalities, based on census data.
• Carta de Conjuntura Periodic economic conjuncture report analyzing current macroeconomic conditions in Brazil and delivering macroeconomic analysis and forecasts to government and public audiences.
• Acesso a Oportunidades Platform analyzing accessibility to urban opportunities across Brazilian cities.
• Beneficiômetro da Seguridade Social Dashboard displaying social security benefit statistics and data in Brazil.
• COBRADI Database on international cooperation and development assistance to Brazil.
• Catálogo de Políticas Públicas Catalog providing searchable information on Brazilian public policies.
• Texto para Discussão (TD) Research publication series fostering debate and providing inputs for public policy formulation and evaluation.
• Nota Técnica Technical notes providing clarification on relevant topics or methodological issues related to public policies.
• Livros In-depth analysis book publications covering various Ipea research themes.
• Revista Tempo do Mundo Academic journal published by Ipea focusing on international economics, geopolitics, and development.
• Revista Pesquisa e Planejamento Econômico (PPE) Academic journal focused on economic research and planning.
• Revista Planejamento e Políticas Públicas (PPP) Academic journal focused on planning and public policy analysis.
• Plataforma – Atlas Econômico Platform for input-output analysis providing economic data visualization and analytical tools to support economic structural analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ipea's research informs federal policy across health, economics, social development, environment, and governance, with findings formally embedded in policy evaluation cycles and national planning documents.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Secretaria Nacional de Desenvolvimento Regional e Territorial - SDR/MIDRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Ipea and SDR/MIDR execute a Termo de Execução Descentralizada (TED) for research on regional development and territorial planning in Brazil, with a work plan and dispensation from standard TED procedures due to the nature of the partnership.
• Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos - FINEPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Acordo de Cooperação Técnica between Ipea and FINEP for the development of research projects and studies supporting innovation and technological development policy in Brazil.
• Ministério da Saúde (MS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Multiple TEDs with the Ministry of Health (TED 93/2025 and others) supporting health policy research, pharmaceutical assistance evaluation, and health system analysis. Also includes an Acordo de Cooperação Técnica between Ipea and SAPS/MS for primary healthcare policy evaluation.
• BNDEScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Termo Aditivo to an Acordo de Cooperação Técnica between Ipea and BNDES for economic research, development finance analysis, and studies on Brazil's economic transformation.
• Ministério da Igualdade Racial - MIRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025TED nº 04/2025 with MIR for joint development of the INCLUA platform and tools to support anti-racist management in public administration, including AI-assisted features for action plan development.
• ENAPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Acordo de Cooperação Técnica and work plan between Ipea and ENAP (Fundação Escola Nacional de Administração Pública) for public administration research and civil servant training.
• Ministério Público Federal - MPFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Acordo de Cooperação Técnica between Ipea and MPF for legal and institutional research supporting public interest litigation and enforcement of public policy.
• Advocacia-Geral da União - AGUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Acordo de Cooperação Técnica between Ipea and AGU for research on legal aspects of public policy and government legal strategy.
• Secretaria-Geral da Presidência – SG-PRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Multiple TEDs (02/2025, 05/2024, 01/2023) between Ipea and SG-PR for cross-cutting policy research supporting the Presidency's strategic agenda.
• Ministério da EducaçãocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025TED nº 15.303/2025 between Ipea and MEC for education policy research, including Fundeb analysis and evaluation of educational programs.
• Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária - INCRAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TED between Ipea and INCRA for research on land reform, agrarian policy, and rural development in Brazil, with a first apostilamento (amendment) recorded in 2025.
• Secretaria de Agricultura Familiar e Agroecologia - SAF/MDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Work plan and dispensation from TED between Ipea and SAF/MDA for family farming and agroecology research supporting agrarian development policy.
• Secretaria Nacional de Segurança Pública - SENASPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TED nº 04/2024 between Ipea and SENASP (Ministry of Justice) for public security policy research and analysis.
• Ministério do Desenvolvimento e Assistência Social - MDScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TED nº 03/2024 between Ipea and MDS for social development policy research and analysis of social assistance programs.
• Ministério do Meio Ambiente e Mudança do Clima - MMAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TED and first amendment between Ipea and MMA for environmental policy research, climate change analysis, and sustainable development studies.
• Secretaria de Competitividade e Política Regulatória - SCPR/MDICcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TED nº 07/2024 between Ipea and SCPR for research on competitiveness, regulatory policy, and industrial development strategies.
• Ministério do Turismo – MTURcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TED nº 01/2023 and subsequent amendments between Ipea and MTUR for tourism sector research and tourism policy development.
• Universidade de Brasília (UnB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Multiple TEDs (05/2023, 04/2023) between Ipea and UnB for academic research cooperation, including work with the Faculty do Gama, with amendments and extensions recorded.
• Ministério dos Direitos Humanos e da Cidadania - MDHCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TED between Ipea and MDHC for research on human rights, citizenship policies, and social protection.
• Conselho Nacional do Ministério Público - CNMPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022TED nº 01/2022 between Ipea and CNMP for research on the institutional role and performance of the Ministério Público.
• Conselho Nacional de Justiça - CNJcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Termo aditivo nº 003/2022 extending the cooperation between Ipea and CNJ for judicial policy research.
• Controladoria-Geral da União - CGUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020TED nº 06/2020 between Ipea and CGU for public integrity, audit, and government control research, with amendments and extensions on record.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV): Brazil's leading private applied economics and public policy research institution. FGV competes with Ipea on applied economic research, policy evaluation, and macroeconomic analysis in Brazil, and operates its own data platforms (FGV IBRE) and publications (RAE, Conjuntura Econômica).
• IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística): Brazil's official statistics agency and Ipea's closest domestic peer. Both are federal public institutes that produce official Brazilian data and analysis supporting government policy, with overlapping roles in macroeconomic and social data publication (IBGE on statistical data, Ipea on applied economic research).
• Congressional Budget Office (CBO): The US Congressional Budget Office is the closest international analogue to Ipea—a nonpartisan government entity that provides economic analysis, budget projections, and policy evaluations to the legislature and executive branch. Both serve as authoritative sources for evidence-based federal policy analysis.
• Korea Development Institute (KDI): South Korea's government-funded economic and public policy research institute under the Prime Minister's office. KDI's mandate—conducting applied economic research and advising the executive on policy—closely parallels Ipea's statutory role in Brazil, including its own publication series and data infrastructure.
• Government Accountability Office (GAO): The US GAO is a legislative-branch research institute that audits, evaluates, and reports on federal programs and policies. GAO mirrors Ipea's role in policy evaluation, program effectiveness analysis, and providing independent research to support federal decision-makers and the legislature.
• Brookings Institution: Major US think tank producing applied economic and public policy research for federal and international audiences. Brookings' research output, peer-reviewed publications, and policy influence mechanism parallel Ipea's model of producing rigorous research that informs government decision-making.
• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): The leading US private economic research organization. NBER's applied macroeconomic and policy research agenda, working paper series, and role in shaping federal economic policy debate are structurally similar to Ipea's Texto para Discussão series and macroeconomic forecasting role.
• CEPAL/ECLAC (UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean): UN regional commission that produces applied economic research on Latin American development, with extensive publications, databases, and policy analysis directly relevant to Brazil. CEPAL's regional scope and policy advisory role parallel Ipea's mandate at the country level.
• Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS): UK-based independent economic research institute focused on fiscal policy, public finance, and economic evaluation. IFS's role in providing authoritative independent analysis to inform UK fiscal and economic policy debates closely mirrors Ipea's policy-advisory mandate in Brazil.
• RAND Corporation: US-based nonprofit research institute that conducts applied economic, social, and policy research for government clients. RAND's portfolio of policy reports, data analytics, and contracted government research parallels Ipea's mission of producing applied research for federal policy-makers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@agenciaipea/streams
• Xx.com/ipeaonline
• Facebookfacebook.com/ipeaonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ipea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Institute for Applied Economic Research