Mathematics and economics, worth R$1.3 trillion per year – 02/20/2024 – Marcelo Viana

I am writing on the flight to São Paulo, where I am going to participate in the seminar “Contribution of mathematics to the Brazilian economy”, held this Tuesday (19) by Fundação Itaú and the Sheet.

Just over a decade ago, the British science and engineering research agency EPSRC released a study on the impact of mathematics on the country’s economy. Carried out by Deloitte, it brought surprising conclusions: economic activity linked to mathematics is responsible for 10% of jobs and 16% of the UK’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). What’s more, math-intensive jobs pay twice the national average salary.

Other countries — the Netherlands, France, Australia, Spain — followed the British example, always with similar conclusions. In the French case, a second study revealed a growing trend: between 2012 and 2022 the contribution of mathematics even increased from 16% to 18% of French GDP (2.5 trillion reais/year).

For Brazil, which is part of the elite group of research in the area (Group 5 of the International Mathematical Union), the lesson is obvious: mathematics is a powerful engine of development and wealth generation. It is urgent to transfer our expertise from academia to economic activity.

But there was a lack of analysis of the Brazilian reality in the sector that could begin to outline strategies to better take advantage of the opportunity that mathematics represents for the country’s development. Until, at the end of 2022, Itaú Social took on the task of carrying out a similar study for the Brazilian case, the conclusions of which were announced at this seminar.

Rich in important information, the document highlights similarities: in Brazil, mathematics-intensive jobs also pay double the national average, and are highly resilient to crises (proven during the pandemic), in addition to a high degree of formality. There are also differences, of course: according to the study, mathematics here corresponds to 7.4% of jobs and generates 4.6% of GDP (440 billion/year).

The difference is not surprising, it just points the way forward to reach the most advanced economies. And think about it: going from 4.6% to 18% will mean adding 1.3 trillion reais to GDP every year. What other opportunity do we have to generate such wealth, in a sustainable way? The discussion on how to do this — which ranges from school to the market and industrial policy — begins at this seminar.

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