Rules and transparency
Microfranchise ceiling stands 24.6% below its own criterion
Ceiling that three times the 2025 GDP per capita would support, against the R$ 135,000 adopted by ABF
See the full table (16 rows)
| Year | GDP per capita | Three times GDP per capita | Difference between the cited ceiling and the criterion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | R$ 19,953 | R$ 59,859 | 33.6% |
| 2011 | R$ 22,310 | R$ 66,931 | 19.5% |
| 2012 | R$ 24,357 | R$ 73,072 | 9.5% |
| 2013 | R$ 26,762 | R$ 80,285 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | R$ 28,778 | R$ 86,334 | -7.3% |
| 2015 | R$ 29,623 | R$ 88,869 | -10.0% |
| 2016 | R$ 30,751 | R$ 92,254 | -13.3% |
| 2017 | R$ 32,127 | R$ 96,380 | -6.6% |
| 2018 | R$ 33,878 | R$ 101,635 | -11.4% |
| 2019 | R$ 35,567 | R$ 106,700 | -15.7% |
| 2020 | R$ 36,381 | R$ 109,142 | -17.5% |
| 2021 | R$ 42,894 | R$ 128,681 | -18.4% |
| 2022 | R$ 47,802 | R$ 143,406 | -26.8% |
| 2023 | R$ 51,694 | R$ 155,082 | -12.9% |
| 2024 | R$ 55,410 | R$ 166,230 | -18.8% |
| 2025 | R$ 59,687 | R$ 179,062 | -24.6% |
Microfranchising is the lowest-investment segment of Brazilian franchising, and what defines it is an administrative value. ABF (Brazilian Franchising Association) treats as a microfranchise a business with an initial investment of up to R$ 135,000, a level in force since 2023, and explains that this cutoff corresponds to three times the country's GDP per capita. Since the criterion is public, we redid the calculation with official data. Brazil's GDP per capita calculated by IBGE (the national statistics institute) for 2025 was R$ 59,687.49, so three times that value would yield R$ 179,062, and not the R$ 135,000 in force.
The 24.6% gap between the ceiling in practice and the ceiling that the criterion itself would support is not an isolated occurrence, since the administrative value remained below the declared rule in 12 of the 16 years since 2010. According to the values published by ABF, the ceiling was R$ 80,000 until 2016, rose to R$ 90,000 in 2017, to R$ 105,000 in 2021 and to R$ 135,000 in 2023, and each adjustment took effect below that year's criterion, by 6.6%, 18.4% and 12.9%, respectively.
The effect varies by state, because the same national ceiling carries a different weight in each regional economy. The R$ 135,000 ceiling equals 1.1 times GDP per capita in the Federal District and 6.3 times in Maranhão, so that an investment equivalent to slightly more than one year of average income in Brasília corresponds to more than six years in Maranhão, under the same classification.
How we calculate
We compared the ceiling declared by ABF in each year with three times Brazil's GDP per capita for the same year, which is the criterion the association itself states that it uses. GDP per capita comes from tables 6784 and 1846 of SIDRA, IBGE's automatic retrieval system, with the 2024 population projection for the most recent years. The series covers 2010 to 2025, and the table and the CSV show, year by year, GDP per capita, the ceiling of three times GDP per capita and the percentage difference between the cited ceiling and that value. The ceiling values set by ABF appear only in prose, with attribution, and are not included in the table or the CSV. The state breakdown applies the same national ceiling of R$ 135,000 to the GDP per capita of each state, also from SIDRA, and appears on the page of each state (in Portuguese).
What this figure does not show
- The R$ 135,000 ceiling is an administrative value set by ABF, without force of law, and no rule requires the association to adjust it by GDP per capita.
- GDP per capita for 2025 depends on IBGE's 2024 population projection and changes when the national accounts and the population are revised.
- The comparison starts from the criterion that ABF declares, three times GDP per capita, and there is no public information on other factors the association may consider when setting the value.
- The state breakdown indicates the relative weight of the investment and does not measure how many microfranchises exist in each state.
- The initial investment declared by a network is not comparable across brands, because each one includes different items in the published value.
The R$ 135,000 ceiling and the criterion of three times GDP per capita are from ABF (Brazilian Franchising Association).
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum investment for a microfranchise in Brazil?
ABF (Brazilian Franchising Association) defines a microfranchise as a business with an initial investment of up to R$ 135,000, a value in force since 2023. Under the criterion of three times GDP per capita, with IBGE (the national statistics institute) data for 2025, the ceiling would be R$ 179,062.
Why is the microfranchise ceiling outdated?
Because the value set by ABF (Brazilian Franchising Association) is adjusted by administrative decision and does not follow GDP per capita year by year. Since 2010, the ceiling has been below the declared criterion in 12 of the 16 years.
Does the R$ 135,000 microfranchise ceiling apply equally across Brazil?
The value is national, but it weighs differently in each state, since it equals 1.1 times GDP per capita in the Federal District and 6.3 times in Maranhão.
Report an error on this page (in Portuguese)
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Maintained by Marktech, which serves franchise networks and franchises. The brands cited belong to their owners and are mentioned here only to identify the network the data refers to.