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Average Public Health Specialist Salary in Brazil for 2026

A public health specialist in Brazil earns about 185,100 BRL a year. That's 83% above the national average of 101,120 BRL.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Brazil sit around 91,380 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 286,400 BRL. Everything on this page is in Brazilian real (BRL, symbol R$), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Brazil, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does a public health specialist make in Brazil?

Average salary
185,100 BRL
15,425 BRL per month
Lowest reported
91,380 BRL
7,615 BRL per month
Highest reported
286,400 BRL
23,866 BRL per month

A typical public health specialist working in Brazil brings home around 15,425 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 91,380 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 286,400 BRL for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior public health specialist working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How public health specialist pay ranges in Brazil

A good way to think about salary in Brazil is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all public health specialists in Brazil earn less than 189,300 BRL a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 127,700 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 240,500 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of public health specialists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 91,380 BRL. The highest stretch to 286,400 BRL, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

91,380
Low
189,300
Median
286,400
High
127,700
25th
240,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BRL

Public health specialist pay by experience in Brazil

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a public health specialist in Brazil, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical public health specialist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    107,380 BRL
  • 2-5 Years
    +30% from previous
    139,100 BRL
  • 5-10 Years
    +37% from previous
    190,500 BRL
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    233,900 BRL
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    253,400 BRL
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    268,900 BRL

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 37%. That is the point at which a public health specialist typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Public health specialist pay by education in Brazil

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving public health specialist pay in Brazil. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average public health specialist salary in Brazil broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    136,100 BRL
  • Master's Degree
    +57% from previous
    214,000 BRL

Public health specialist gender pay gap in Brazil

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Brazil is no exception. Male public health specialists in Brazil earn an average of 172,200 BRL a year, while female public health specialists earn around 192,600 BRL. That works out to a 11% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Public Health Specialist gender pay gap

11%

Men earn this much less than women on average in Brazil.

Women 192,600 BRL
Men 172,200 BRL

Pay raises for a public health specialist in Brazil

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Brazil sees a raise of about 12% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Brazil, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Brazil:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Public health specialist bonus rates in Brazil

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

58%

58% of public health specialists in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a public health specialist a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 42% of public health specialists reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Brazil

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Public health specialist: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Brazil is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

7%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Brazil on average.

Public sector 106,500 BRL
Private sector 99,460 BRL

Public health specialist salary by city in Brazil

Public health specialist pay is not even across Brazil. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Sao Paulo
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Salvador
  • Manaus
  • Brasilia
  • Curitiba
  • Recife
  • Fortaleza
  • Goiania
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Rio de JaneiroCity207,800 BRL221,500 BRL96,540-327,300 BRL
Sao PauloCity204,700 BRL209,700 BRL95,600-318,800 BRL
Belo HorizonteCity204,000 BRL192,600 BRL108,800-312,400 BRL
SalvadorCity200,000 BRL205,700 BRL99,560-311,700 BRL
ManausCity200,000 BRL195,200 BRL104,080-308,300 BRL
BrasiliaCity197,600 BRL192,600 BRL105,080-305,600 BRL
CuritibaCity196,800 BRL196,800 BRL97,840-301,700 BRL
RecifeCity195,200 BRL208,600 BRL93,100-312,400 BRL
FortalezaCity190,500 BRL174,000 BRL101,120-288,100 BRL
GoianiaCity189,300 BRL176,800 BRL98,120-283,700 BRL
BelemCity185,100 BRL197,600 BRL83,640-294,700 BRL
Joao PessoaCity181,600 BRL196,800 BRL83,760-286,400 BRL
NatalCity181,600 BRL168,100 BRL99,560-273,000 BRL
Porto AlegreCity180,500 BRL176,800 BRL90,620-275,500 BRL
AracajuCity176,800 BRL180,500 BRL86,740-275,800 BRL
MaceioCity176,800 BRL176,800 BRL88,580-273,300 BRL
TeresinaCity175,900 BRL185,100 BRL87,020-277,400 BRL
Sao LuisCity172,400 BRL164,200 BRL91,560-263,900 BRL
MacapaCity172,200 BRL172,200 BRL88,580-271,300 BRL
CampinasCity172,200 BRL181,600 BRL83,200-273,300 BRL
Vale do AcoCity168,100 BRL159,500 BRL88,580-254,800 BRL
CuiabaCity163,800 BRL154,700 BRL87,880-249,600 BRL
SantosCity161,300 BRL172,200 BRL74,300-258,400 BRL
LondrinaCity159,500 BRL172,200 BRL73,820-254,700 BRL
MaringaCity159,100 BRL148,300 BRL83,900-239,000 BRL
Petrolina and JuazeiroCity158,700 BRL152,300 BRL78,260-240,500 BRL
VitoriaCity152,300 BRL158,700 BRL74,380-239,000 BRL


Public Health Specialist in Brazil: FAQs

  • How much does a public health specialist make per month in Brazil?

    A public health specialist in Brazil earns about 15,425 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 185,100 BRL.

  • What's the salary range for a public health specialist in Brazil?

    Entry-level public health specialists in Brazil start near 91,380 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 286,400 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 127,700 and 240,500 BRL.

  • Is the median public health specialist salary in Brazil higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 189,300 BRL, higher than the average of 185,100 BRL. Half of public health specialists in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for public health specialists in Brazil?

    Men working as a public health specialist in Brazil earn around 11% less than women on average (172,200 vs 192,600 BRL a year).

  • Do public health specialists in Brazil get bonuses?

    About 58% of public health specialists in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do public health specialists earn more in the public or private sector in Brazil?

    In Brazil, the public sector pays a public health specialist about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do public health specialists in Brazil get a pay raise?

    A public health specialist in Brazil sees a raise of around 12% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.