Introduction: Mesothelioma is a type of cancer whose incidence has been increasing worldwide, mainly as a result of asbestos exposure. Brazil is still a major producer and consumer of that fiber. Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the distribution of mesothelioma mortality rate in Brazil during the period of 1980-2010. Method: An ecologic study was carried out with a descriptive analysis. The records used came from the National System of Information on Mortality of DataSUS (Sistema Nacional de Informacoes sobre Mortalidade do DataSUS). Results: Found 3,718 deaths from mesothelioma; the majority of them (2,180) occurred in the Southeast of the country. There was a balance in the mortality rate between men and women showing a ratio of 1.12:1, and 80.7% of deaths occurred among individuals within the age range of 50 years old and above. The standardized mortality rates by age increased from 0.64 deaths per million population in 1980 to 1.18 deaths per million population in 2002. Conclusion: Mortality statistics for mesothelioma in Brazil are low; they don’t match the intensity of production and use of asbestos in our country; and they don’t reflect the actual magnitude of the problem.