Retail sector in Paraíba records the third-highest growth rate in the country in 2025, according to the IBGE

With the 3rd highest growth rate in the country in 2025, the performance of the retail sector in Paraíba, as well as the service sector, was once again a national highlight. Data from the Monthly Trade Survey (PMC), released this Friday (13) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), shows that in the accumulated period from January to December of last year, Paraíba presented an increase of 4.8%, a rate three times higher than the country's average in the previous year (1.6%).

Among the 26 federative units and the Federal District, Paraíba had the 3rd highest variation in retail sales in 2025: Amapá led with 8.5%, followed by Santa Catarina (5.9%) and Paraíba (4.8%). In December, Paraíba registered a 2.5% increase.

EXPANDED COMMERCE – In the expanded retail trade indicator – which includes activities related to vehicles, motorcycles, parts and accessories, construction materials, and wholesale of food products, beverages, and tobacco – Paraíba's expansion was also a national highlight, registering a 4.2% increase in 2025, the fourth highest growth rate among the states, while the country practically stagnated (0.1%).

Seven of the eight activities that make up retail registered expansion in 2025. There was growth in Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, and perfumery articles; Furniture and household appliances; Equipment and materials for office, IT, and communication; Other articles for personal and domestic use; Textiles, clothing, and footwear; and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, and Fuels and lubricants.

“Growth in 2025 was reasonably distributed, driven by pharmaceuticals, furniture and home appliances, and office, IT and communication equipment, the latter strongly influenced by the sharp devaluation of the dollar against the real, which helped sales of imported electronic products such as cell phones and laptops,” assessed the IBGE research manager, Cristiano Santos.

RETAIL IN PARAÍBA SHOWS RISING SIDE – According to the Secretary of State for Finance (Sefaz-PB), Marialvo Laureano, the growth of retail in Paraíba, which is one of the main indicators of economic activity, has been consistently high and sustained by strong job creation, increased household consumption, and public investment in infrastructure.

"In 2024, in the same IBGE survey, we already had the second highest growth rate in retail, and now, in 2025, we have reached the third, which proves the positive and consistent trajectory of the retail sector in the State. One of the main factors for the continued high sales in the retail sector is the continuous generation of jobs. In 2025, Paraíba reduced its unemployment rate to the lowest in the entire historical series of the IBGE's PNAD (7%), that is, the lowest unemployment level in the last 13 years. This positively impacts retail sales with more active workers in the market and with the maintenance of wages for consumption. Two other important factors: the maintenance of investments with own resources in works that boost the economy in various regions of the State and also generate jobs, in addition to the consumption of Paraíba families, which last year reached R$ 112 billion, an increase of 9.3%," detailed the Secretary of Finance.

MORE ABOUT THE RESEARCH – The Monthly Retail Trade Survey (PMC) produces indicators that allow monitoring the current behavior of retail trade in the country, investigating the gross resale revenue of formally constituted companies with 20 or more employees and whose main activity is retail trade. Started in 1995, the PMC provides monthly results on the variation in volume and nominal sales revenue for retail trade and expanded retail trade (automobiles and construction materials) for Brazil and its Federative Units. The results can be consulted on Sidra.