The study aims to analyze the efficiency of Primary Health Care and to find out possible disparities in health by means of a cross-sectional ecological study based on data from municipalities concerning primary care IDSUS and total expenditure per capita average, stratified by region and homogeneous groups, for the period 2008-2010.It was noted the difficulty in structuring primary care in the municipalities and in the North Region; the favoring of federal transfers to municipalities in greater needs; the greatest efficiencies found in the Northeast Region in the homogeneous group of municipalities with the worst socio-economic and structural health indicators. Large differences were also observed among Brazilian regions and homogeneous groups of municipalities according to their socio-economic characteristics and health structure as regards the efficiency of primary health care and the municipalities' ability to apply their own resources. Finally, it is to be remarked the significant nonuse of the amount transferred by the federal government to the municipalities within the primary care funding block.
Primary Health Care; Healthcare disparities; Health economics.