Which currency is used in Brazil?

The currency used in Brazil is the Brazilian real.

The real is issued by the Central Bank of Brazil and has the ISO 4217 code BRL. Its symbol is R$, and one real is divided into 100 centavos. Brazil introduced the current real on 1 July 1994 as part of the Plano Real, an economic stabilization program designed to end a period of severe inflation.

The name real means “royal” in Portuguese and was used by several earlier Portuguese and Brazilian currencies. The plural in Portuguese is reais, while “real” is the singular form. Modern Brazilian banknotes belong to the Second Family of the real and use distinctive colors and designs.

The current real replaced the cruzeiro real at a conversion of 1 real for 2,750 cruzeiros reais. It is therefore different from the many earlier currencies called cruzeiro, despite Brazil’s long history of monetary reforms.