US Dollar to Brazilian Real exchange rate history 1995 to 2026: stabilisation and crisis
One US Dollar bought 0.9161 BRL in 1995 and 5.1428 BRL in 2026. Stabilisation and crisis. The series covers 32 years of annual data.
- 2026 avg
- 5.1428
- year to date
- Highest avg
- 5.5891
- 2025
- Lowest avg
- 0.9161
- 1995
- Traded range
- 0.8320 to 6.2021
- low 1995, high 2024
Source: Federal Reserve H.10 (DEXBZUS). Latest daily observation 2026-10-30.
Annual averages of daily observations.
USD/BRL since 1995
US Dollar to Brazilian Real averaged 0.9161 BRL in 1995 and 5.5891 BRL in 2025, 510.1% higher across 31 complete years.
The annual average has ranged from 0.9161 in 1995 to 5.5891 in 2025. On individual trading days the series reached 0.8320 and 6.2021, a ratio of 7.5 to 1.
USD/BRL by decade
Grouped by decade, the annual average was 1.1961 in 1995-1999 and 5.2612 in 2020-2026. The widest decade-to-decade change was +96.4% between 1995-1999 and 2000-2009, when the average moved from 1.1961 to 2.3491.
The final bucket, 2020-2026, is a partial decade and includes the year-to-date 2026 average. The table below shows every bucket with its high and low, so the short-run moves and the long-run level can be read together.
Brazil's real: stabilisation, crisis and recovery
USD/BRL has been shaped by crisis and recovery. The US dollar is the world's main reserve currency and the base leg for most foreign exchange trading.
The real was introduced in 1994 to end hyperinflation, then survived a 1999 devaluation and several later shocks. In a crisis, capital tends to leave the higher-risk currency quickly, so the pair can move far more in a single year than the change in fundamentals would suggest. Recovery is usually slower and less linear.
Commodity exports and the Selic rate are the two constant forces across those regimes. The series shows 19 up years and 11 down years, with a maximum drawdown of 53.0% from 2002 to 2010.
The five largest USD/BRL moves
Ranked by absolute year-end change, the five largest moves were 2002 (+53.1%), 1999 (+49.7%), 2015 (+49.0%), 2008 (+30.0%), 2020 (+29.2%). The biggest was 2002, when the rate moved from 2.3120 to 3.5400, a change of 53.1%.
Across 31 complete years the pair rose in 19 and fell in 11. The average annual change was +7.7% with a standard deviation of 20.4 percentage points, which is one way to compare its volatility with other pairs.
What moves USD/BRL
USD: The US dollar is the world's main reserve currency and the base leg for most foreign exchange trading.
BRL: The Brazilian real has floated since 1999 and is sensitive to commodity exports, fiscal policy and the Selic rate.
For USD/BRL, the USD leg responds to Federal Reserve policy, US inflation and Treasury yields, safe-haven demand, while the BRL leg responds to commodity exports, Selic rate, fiscal policy. The exchange rate is the market's attempt to balance the two sets of forces.
How to read the USD/BRL data
The annual figures are averages of the daily observations in Federal Reserve H.10 (DEXBZUS). Highs and lows are the most extreme single observations in each calendar year, not intraday highs. No figure on this page is estimated or interpolated.
USD/BRL by decade
Annual averages grouped into decade buckets. The first and last buckets may cover fewer than ten years.
| Period | Average | High | Low | vs previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1999 | 1.1961 | 2.2000 | 0.8320 | n/a |
| 2000–2009 | 2.3491 | 3.9450 | 1.5580 | +96.4% |
| 2010–2019 | 2.7500 | 4.2594 | 1.5375 | +17.1% |
| 2020–2026 | 5.2612 | 6.2021 | 4.0378 | +91.3% |
Average of the annual averages in each period. The first and last rows cover partial decades.
USD/BRL annual average, 1995 to 2026
Annual average with the full trading range for each year. average high–low range
Source: Federal Reserve H.10 (DEXBZUS). Figures are annual averages of daily observations.
Five largest USD/BRL moves
The largest absolute year-end changes in the published series, using complete calendar years only.
- 2002 +53.1% 2.3120 to 3.5400
Year-end rate moved from 2.3120 to 3.5400, a change of 53.1%.
- 1999 +49.7% 1.2085 to 1.8090
Year-end rate moved from 1.2085 to 1.8090, a change of 49.7%.
- 2015 +49.0% 2.6563 to 3.9593
Year-end rate moved from 2.6563 to 3.9593, a change of 49.0%.
- 2008 +30.0% 1.7790 to 2.3130
Year-end rate moved from 1.7790 to 2.3130, a change of 30.0%.
- 2020 +29.2% 4.0190 to 5.1935
Year-end rate moved from 4.0190 to 5.1935, a change of 29.2%.
USD/BRL history: the years that moved the rate
Each event below is dated and tied to one of the currencies in this pair.
- 1999 1999-01-15
Brazil lets the real float
Brazil stopped defending the real's crawling peg and allowed the currency to float. The real fell sharply against the dollar during 1999.
- 2008 2008-09-15
Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy
The collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a global financial crisis, a flight into the US dollar and extreme volatility across currency markets.
- 2020 2020-03-15
Pandemic triggers a global dash for cash
The COVID-19 shock caused a worldwide sell-off and a surge in demand for US dollars, followed by large central bank intervention and emergency rate cuts.
USD to BRL exchange rate by year
Every year since 1995: annual average, the year high and low, the year-end rate, and the change on the previous year.
| Year | Average | High | Low | Year end | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0.9161 | 0.9710 | 0.8320 | 0.9706 | n/a |
| 1996 | 1.0051 | 1.0413 | 0.9712 | 1.0393 | +7.1% |
| 1997 | 1.0779 | 1.1166 | 1.0394 | 1.1165 | +7.4% |
| 1998 | 1.1605 | 1.2090 | 1.1160 | 1.2085 | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 1.8207 | 2.2000 | 1.2074 | 1.8090 | +49.7% |
| 2000 | 1.8301 | 1.9840 | 1.7230 | 1.9510 | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 2.3527 | 2.7880 | 1.9380 | 2.3120 | +18.5% |
| 2002 | 2.9213 | 3.9450 | 2.2730 | 3.5400 | +53.1% |
| 2003 | 3.0750 | 3.6640 | 2.8230 | 2.8950 | -18.2% |
| 2004 | 2.9262 | 3.2085 | 2.6510 | 2.6550 | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 2.4352 | 2.7755 | 2.1695 | 2.3340 | -12.1% |
| 2006 | 2.1738 | 2.3580 | 2.0549 | 2.1342 | -8.6% |
| 2007 | 1.9461 | 2.1520 | 1.7298 | 1.7790 | -16.6% |
| 2008 | 1.8326 | 2.6187 | 1.5580 | 2.3130 | +30.0% |
| 2009 | 1.9976 | 2.4420 | 1.6995 | 1.7425 | -24.7% |
| 2010 | 1.7600 | 1.8885 | 1.6574 | 1.6631 | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 1.6723 | 1.8865 | 1.5375 | 1.8627 | +12.0% |
| 2012 | 1.9535 | 2.1141 | 1.6997 | 2.0476 | +9.9% |
| 2013 | 2.1570 | 2.4464 | 1.9480 | 2.3608 | +15.3% |
| 2014 | 2.3512 | 2.7306 | 2.1940 | 2.6563 | +12.5% |
| 2015 | 3.3360 | 4.1638 | 2.5644 | 3.9593 | +49.0% |
| 2016 | 3.4839 | 4.1299 | 3.1142 | 3.2532 | -17.8% |
| 2017 | 3.1910 | 3.3823 | 3.0557 | 3.3121 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 3.6513 | 4.2016 | 3.1470 | 3.8804 | +17.2% |
| 2019 | 3.9440 | 4.2594 | 3.6501 | 4.0190 | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 5.1587 | 5.9204 | 4.0378 | 5.1935 | +29.2% |
| 2021 | 5.3958 | 5.8084 | 4.9169 | 5.5749 | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 5.1605 | 5.7027 | 4.6171 | 5.2860 | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 4.9946 | 5.4430 | 4.7179 | 4.8521 | -8.2% |
| 2024 | 5.3872 | 6.2021 | 4.8536 | 6.1840 | +27.4% |
| 2025 | 5.5891 | 6.1759 | 5.2858 | 5.4770 | -11.4% |
| 2026 YTD | 5.1428 | 5.4415 | 4.8975 | 5.4252 | -0.9% |
1995–2026 · 31 complete calendar years. Annual figures are averages of available daily observations. 2026 is year to date: the average is based on 209 published trading days through 2026-10-30.
USD/BRL history: common questions
What was the USD/BRL rate in 1995?
One USD averaged 0.9161 BRL in 1995, with a range of 0.8320 to 0.9710 and a year-end rate of 0.9706.
What was the biggest single-year move in USD/BRL?
2002 was the largest, at +53.1%. The year-end rate moved from 2.3120 to 3.5400.
What is the highest USD/BRL rate on record?
The highest annual average was 5.5891 in 2025. The highest single observation was 6.2021 in 2024.
What is the lowest USD/BRL rate on record?
The lowest annual average was 0.9161 in 1995. The lowest single observation was 0.8320 in 1995.
How is the USD/BRL rate calculated?
The annual figures are averages of daily observations in Federal Reserve H.10 (DEXBZUS). Highs and lows are the most extreme single observations in each calendar year.
What is the USD/BRL rate in 2026?
The 2026 average is 5.1428 BRL per USD, based on the year to date. The latest complete year, 2025, averaged 5.5891.
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