Ribeirão Pires ranks among Brazil's safest cities, while Gavião Peixoto tops quality‑of‑life list

The municipality of Ribeirão Pires in São Paulo state was placed 53rd out of 338 Brazilian cities with more than 100,000 residents in the 20th Brazilian Public Safety Yearbook, making it the third‑least violent city in the Greater ABC region. The city recorded a homicide rate of 6.7 intentional violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure below both national and state averages. Officials attribute the decline to extensive investments in technology, intelligence and integration of security forces, including facial‑recognition kiosks, over 180 surveillance cameras, automated license‑plate readers, a 24‑hour monitoring centre and a dedicated women‑protection app.

Meanwhile, the small interior municipality of Gavião Peixoto, also in São Paulo, has been ranked first among 5,570 Brazilian municipalities in the Social Progress Index (IPS) for the third consecutive year, scoring 73.10 against a national average of 63.40. The town’s high ranking is driven by its high‑tech Embraer plant, near‑perfect school enrolment (98.6% for ages 6‑14), and strong health, education and sanitation indicators, offering residents skilled jobs and a tranquil lifestyle.

Both rankings highlight how targeted local investments and industry presence can markedly improve safety and quality‑of‑life outcomes in Brazilian municipalities.