Brazil
Brasilia
UMR Index Rank
#57
Score: 34%
Sustainable Mobility
#49
Score: 39.5%
Public Transit
#64
Score: 29.4%
Technology Adoption
#54
Score: 22.0%
| Population | 4.1 million |
| Surface area (km2) | 963 |
| Population-density (people/km2) | 4,331 |
| GDP per capita ($) | 24,657 |
UMR Index Rank
#57
Score: 34%
Sustainable Mobility
#49
Score: 39.5%
Public Transit
#64
Score: 29.4%
Technology Adoption
#54
Score: 22.0%
What Brasilia Does Well In Urban Mobility
Brasilia boasts high transit commute speeds and low congestion levels. In fact, traffic in the city is much more fluid than in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. This is partly due to a low population density that is less than a tenth of its peers. Additionally, Brasilia has a well-developed metro network. The Metrô do Distrito Federal had two lines in 2024. Improvement plans call for purchasing more trains, extending both lines, and potentially automating some of the lines. As of 2024, a R$320 million ($65 million) contract for a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) Orange Line extension had been awarded, while a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) extension of the Green Line was under review.
Brasilia has good air quality and little noise and light pollution. The carbon intensity of electricity generation in the city is also much lower than in many other cities in the index. These are positive indicators for sustainability.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index, Sustainable Mobility, Public Transit, and Technology Adoption scores
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley
Challenges And Opportunities For Brasilia’s Transportation System
Few residents in Brasilia choose to cycle. The Brazilian capital was planned and built in the 1950s with a focus on cars. Today, there are many highways that cross the city with speed limits of 80 kilometers per hour. Many roads are not bike friendly because they are poor quality and lack dedicated cycle lanes. While the Federal District claims several hundred kilometers of cycling lanes, these are largely not interconnected, leaving many cyclists with unsafe and unpleasant commutes.
Brasilia lags behind other cities in the index on electrification of its mobility options. While Latin American peers such as Santiago have invested in electric buses, Brasilia has only six e-buses in its fleet of 4,000. For a city where car use is the most popular form of transportation, Brasilia can do more for electric vehicles (EVs). The Federal District government has provided tax exemptions for EVs, but the city lacks sufficient investment in charging infrastructure to boost sales.
Dimensions of the Urban Mobility Readiness Index score
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley
How Brasilia Can Improve Its Urban Mobility Performance
Brasilia can improve the diversity of its public transit options. As of 2024, it has a bus and metro system. The city also can introduce parkand- ride programs to encourage drivers to opt for multimodal transport over strictly private car use. Some residents also face longs walks to their nearest public transit station. The city can invest in more bus routes and stops, as well as a rapid bus transit system, a cost-efficient way to improve the density of the public transit network.
Brasilia’s roads are low quality. The city can invest more in maintaining and upgrading roads, including proactively repairing potholes and using road surface materials with longer lifespans. Investing in road quality also provides Brasilia with an opportunity to undertake road redesigns and work toward creating a more multimodal and integrated mobility system.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index relative ranking evolution (2020-2024)
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley