GEOGRAPHY OF ABSENCES: TEMPORAL EVOLUTION AND TERRITORIAL INEQUALITIES IN MISSING-PERSON REPORTS IN BRAZIL, 2021–2025

Abstract

Missing persons constitute a major public problem whose records reflect both situations of vulnerability and institutional capacity to produce, integrate, and update information. This study analyzed temporal trends and territorial inequalities in reports of missing and located persons in Brazil from 2021 to 2025. An ecological, descriptive, retrospective study was conducted using data from the Brazilian Public Security Yearbooks. Absolute numbers, rates per 100,000 inhabitants, annual percentage changes, and proportions of located persons relative to missing-person reports were calculated for Brazil, its macro-regions, and federative units. A total of 386,120 missing-person reports were recorded. The annual number rose from 65,263 to 84,269 (29.12%), while the rate increased from 32.3 to 39.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2025, the South had the highest regional rate (59.9), and Roraima the highest state rate (78.1). Across the five-year period, 254,474 located persons were reported, corresponding to an aggregate ratio of 65.91% relative to missing-person reports. Territorial heterogeneity was substantial, including in location ratios. The national increase therefore coexisted with distinct regional patterns, highlighting the need for integrated information systems, timely record updating, and search strategies adapted to territorial characteristics.