Motorcycles outnumber cars in 45% of Brazilian cities

Motorcycles were found to outnumber cars in 45 percent of Brazilian cities, in a survey released by the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM) on the fleet of vehicles across Brazil. In April this year, the study reports, there were more motorbikes than cars circulating in 2,487 of the country’s 5,568 municipalities.

A total of 26.4 million motorbikes were reported throughout the country, up 3.44 percent from April last year—one motorbike for every 7.86 people. The region with the most remarkable ratio is the Northeast, where motorbikes amount to 7.49 million against 6.67 million cars. In the North, 2.49 million motorbikes outnumber the 1.67 million cars.

In the northern state of Acre, in the Amazon, motorbikes outnumber cars in all cities. In the states of Maranhão and Pará, the proportion of municipalities reaches 99 percent.

According to CNM, the significant boost in the number of motorcycles comes as a result of easy credit and government incentives, in addition to poor public transportation. In the Northeast, the study shows clear signs of the replacement of animals like horses, asses, and donkeys with motorbikes.

Despite this increase, the survey indicates that cars are still the country’s number one means of transportation, adding up to 53.4 million—one car for every 3.89 people, 3.3% higher than April last year.

The country’s cars are concentrated in the Southeast and the South. São Paulo state alone accounts for 17.8 million automobiles—33.47% of Brazil’s total. Of the ten municipalities with the highest amount of cars, nine are capitals. The cities with the lowest number are located in the North, where river transport is predominant.