Brazil Population

Brazil is the largest country in South America and the largest economic power. The country has major environmental challenges and the economy is struggling. Equalizing the differences between poor and rich is one of the country’s biggest challenges.

Key figures and facts

• Capital: Brasília
• Ethnic groups: European origin 47.7%, European + African origin 43.1%, African origin 7.6%, Asian origin 1.1%, indigenous people 0.4% (2010)
• Language: Portuguese (official language), to a lesser extent; Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, English and various native languages.
• Religion: Roman Catholic 64.6%, other Catholics 0.4%, various Protestants 22.2% other Christians 0.7%, spiritualists 2.2%, other/unspecified 1.8%, none 8%, (2010)
• Population: 210 867 954 (2018)
• Control Form: Federal Republic
• Area: 8 515 770 Km2
• Currency: Brazilian Real
• GNP per capita: 15 124 PPP $
• National Day: September 7th

Brazil’s Population

Brazil is the world’s 5th most populous country (after China, India, USA and Indonesia), and has about half of the population of South America. The population has grown very rapidly (1872: 9.9 million, 1950: 51.9 million, 1970: 93.1 million, 1980: 119 million, 2000: 169.8 million, 2007: 183 million), but growth has slowed in recent years. The total fertility rate (estimated number of children each woman gives birth to during her childbearing age) was around 6 until 1970, but has since fallen sharply and was estimated at 2.3 at the 2000 census.

Population of Brazil by Year (Historical)

Year	Population	Annual Growth Rate	Population Density	Global Rank
2020	212,559,306	0.720%	25.4314	6
2019	211,049,416	0.750%	25.2508	6
2018	209,469,212	0.790%	25.0617	6
2017	207,833,712	0.810%	24.8660	6
2016	206,162,942	0.830%	24.6661	5
2015	204,471,658	0.880%	24.4638	5
2010	195,713,524	1.010%	23.4159	5
2005	186,126,992	1.260%	22.2690	5
2000	174,790,229	1.530%	20.9126	5
1995	162,019,785	1.690%	19.3847	5
1990	149,003,112	1.950%	17.8273	5
1985	135,273,969	2.310%	16.1847	6
1980	120,693,898	2.400%	14.4403	6
1975	107,216,094	2.430%	12.8278	7
1970	95,113,154	2.670%	11.3797	7
1965	83,373,419	2.930%	9.9751	7
1960	72,179,115	2.910%	8.6358	8
1955	62,533,808	2.990%	7.4818	8
1950	53,974,618	0.000%	6.4577	8

Major Cities in Brazil by Population

Rank	City	Population
1	Sao Paulo	10,021,184
2	Rio de Janeiro	6,023,588
3	Salvador	2,711,729
4	Fortaleza	2,399,889
5	Belo Horizonte	2,373,113
6	Brasilia	2,207,607
7	Curitiba	1,718,310
8	Manaus	1,598,099
9	Recife	1,477,987
10	Belem	1,407,626
11	Porto Alegre	1,372,630
12	Goiania	1,171,084
13	Guarulhos	1,169,466
14	Campinas	1,031,443
15	Nova Iguacu	1,002,007
16	Maceio	954,880
17	Sao Luis	917,126
18	Duque de Caxias	818,218
19	Natal	762,932
20	Teresina	744,401
21	Sao Bernardo do Campo	743,261
22	Campo Grande	729,040
23	Jaboatao	702,510
24	Osasco	677,745
25	Santo Andre	662,262
26	Joao Pessoa	650,772
27	Jaboatao dos Guararapes	629,897
28	Contagem	627,012
29	Ribeirao Preto	619,635
30	Sao Jose dos Campos	613,653
31	Uberlandia	563,425
32	Sorocaba	558,751
33	Cuiaba	521,823
34	Aparecida de Goiania	510,659
35	Aracaju	490,064
36	Feira de Santana	481,800
37	Londrina	471,721
38	Juiz de Fora	470,082
39	Belford Roxo	465,985
40	Joinville	461,193
41	Niteroi	456,345
42	Sao Joao de Meriti	454,738
43	Ananindeua	433,845
44	Florianopolis	412,613
45	Santos	411,292
46	Ribeirao das Neves	406,691
47	Vila Velha	394,819
48	Serra	394,042
49	Diadema	390,522
50	Campos dos Goytacazes	387,306
51	Maua	385,958
52	Betim	383,889
53	Caxias do Sul	381,159
54	Sao Jose do Rio Preto	374,588
55	Olinda	366,643
56	Carapicuiba	361,001
57	Campina Grande	348,825
58	Piracicaba	342,098
59	Macapa	338,825
60	Itaquaquecetuba	336,568
61	Bauru	334,913
62	Montes Claros	332,268
63	Canoas	328,180
64	Mogi das Cruzes	325,635
65	Sao Vicente	324,346
66	Jundiai	321,478
67	Pelotas	320,563
68	Anapolis	319,476
69	Vitoria	312,545
70	Maringa	311,613
71	Guaruja	310,313
72	Porto Velho	306,069
73	Franca	304,930
74	Blumenau	293,838
75	Foz do Iguacu	293,412
76	Ponta Grossa	292,066
77	Paulista	289,860
78	Limeira	289,554
79	Viamao	285,158
80	Suzano	283,203
81	Caucaia	274,908
82	Petropolis	272,580
83	Uberaba	260,732
84	Rio Branco	257,531
85	Cascavel	257,061
86	Novo Hamburgo	253,730
87	Vitoria da Conquista	253,026
88	Barueri	251,883
89	Taubate	251,530
90	Governador Valadares	250,767
91	Praia Grande	249,916
92	Varzea Grande	249,641
93	Volta Redonda	249,469
94	Santa Maria	249,108
95	Santa Luzia	243,392
96	Gravatai	238,667
97	Caruaru	235,260
98	Boa Vista	235,039
99	Ipatinga	228,635
100	Sumare	227,866
101	Juazeiro do Norte	225,119
102	Embu	221,622
103	Imperatriz	217,995
104	Colombo	216,889
105	Taboao da Serra	214,412
106	Jacarei	212,999
107	Marilia	212,107
108	Presidente Prudente	209,391
109	Sao Leopoldo	209,118
110	Itabuna	205,549
111	Sao Carlos	204,924
112	Hortolandia	203,422
113	Mossoro	201,894
114	Itapevi	201,637
115	Sete Lagoas	201,223
116	Sao Jose	199,889
117	Palmas	196,161
118	Americana	195,911
119	Petrolina	194,539
120	Divinopolis	193,721
121	Maracanau	193,418
122	Planaltina	189,301
123	Santarem	188,936
124	Camacari	188,647
125	Santa Barbara d’Oeste	187,889
126	Rio Grande	187,727
127	Cachoeiro de Itapemirim	186,908
128	Itaborai	182,387
129	Rio Claro	180,036
130	Indaiatuba	179,800
131	Passo Fundo	179,418
132	Cotia	174,717
133	Francisco Morato	171,679
134	Aracatuba	169,913
135	Araraquara	168,357
136	Ferraz de Vasconcelos	167,789
137	Arapiraca	166,451
138	Lages	164,565
139	Barra Mansa	163,941
140	Nossa Senhora do Socorro	163,882
141	Dourados	162,091
142	Criciuma	161,843
143	Chapeco	160,046
144	Barreiras	158,181
145	Sobral	157,885
146	Itajai	155,605
147	Ilheus	155,388
148	Angra dos Reis	153,524
149	Nova Friburgo	153,250
150	Rondonopolis	152,801
151	Itapecerica da Serra	151,494
152	Guarapuava	150,739
153	Parnamirim	150,232
154	Caxias	147,961
155	Nilopolis	147,170
156	Pocos de Caldas	146,477
157	Maraba	145,749
158	Luziania	143,490
159	Cabo	142,994
160	Macae	142,918
161	Ibirite	141,263
162	Lauro de Freitas	141,169
163	Paranagua	140,902
164	Parnaiba	137,897
165	Itu	137,475
166	Castanhal	137,295
167	Sao Caetano do Sul	136,342
168	Queimados	135,630
169	Pindamonhangaba	132,107
170	Sapucaia	130,826
171	Jaragua do Sul	130,019
172	Mogi Guacu	128,754
173	Jequie	127,364
174	Itapetininga	126,132
175	Patos de Minas	126,123
176	Braganca Paulista	124,985
177	Timon	124,316
178	Sao Jose dos Pinhais	124,113
179	Teresopolis	123,868
180	Uruguaiana	123,369
181	Porto Seguro	123,062
182	Alagoinhas	122,577
183	Palhoca	122,312
184	Barbacena	122,100
185	Cachoeirinha	120,973
186	Santa Rita	119,782
187	Toledo	119,202
188	Jau	119,095
189	Cubatao	118,299
190	Pinhais	116,889
191	Simoes Filho	116,551
192	Varginha	116,460
193	Sinop	115,902
194	Pouso Alegre	115,090
195	Eunapolis	114,164
196	Botucatu	113,751
197	Jandira	113,494
198	Ribeirao Pires	111,777
199	Conselheiro Lafaiete	111,485
200	Resende	111,403
201	Araucaria	111,191
202	Atibaia	110,857
203	Varzea Paulista	110,825
204	Garanhuns	109,974
205	Araruama	109,526
206	Catanduva	109,501
207	Franco da Rocha	108,747
208	Cabo Frio	108,128
209	Ji Parana	107,586
210	Araras	107,352
211	Poa	107,321
212	Vitoria de Santo Antao	107,272
213	Umuarama	107,208
214	Apucarana	106,974
215	Santa Cruz do Sul	106,002
216	Guaratingueta	105,769
217	Linhares	104,964
218	Araguaina	104,908
219	Esmeraldas	103,095
220	Birigui	102,166
221	Assis	101,486
222	Barretos	101,109
223	Colatina	101,079
224	Teofilo Otoni	101,059
225	Guaiba	100,913
226	Guarapari	100,814
227	Coronel Fabriciano	100,805
228	Itaguai	100,641
229	Rio das Ostras	99,889
230	Itabira	99,385
231	Votorantim	99,279
232	Sertaozinho	99,100
233	Santana de Parnaiba	98,878
234	Bage	98,829
235	Passos	98,641
236	Salto	98,276
237	Uba	97,717
238	Ourinhos	97,688
239	Trindade	97,410
240	Arapongas	97,401
241	Araguari	96,454
242	Corumba	96,409
243	Erechim	95,976
244	Japeri	94,990
245	Vespasiano	94,638
246	Campo Largo	94,557
247	Tatui	93,469
248	Patos	92,464
249	Timoteo	91,611
250	Muriae	91,062
251	Cambe	90,969
252	Bayeux	90,945
253	Bento Goncalves	90,741
254	Caraguatatuba	90,732
255	Itanhaem	90,274
256	Santana do Livramento	89,583
257	Almirante Tamandare	89,388
258	Planaltina	88,742
259	Crato	88,675
260	Valinhos	88,519
261	Sao Lourenco da Mata	88,305
262	Nova Lima	88,288
263	Brusque	88,173
264	Barra do Pirai	87,557
265	Alegrete	87,125
266	Caieiras	87,077
267	Barra do Corda	86,551
268	Igarassu	86,346
269	Paulo Afonso	85,239
270	Ituiutaba	85,234
271	Esteio	84,791
272	Sarandi	84,586
273	Itaperuna	84,324
274	Santana	83,816
275	Jardim Paulista	83,556
276	Codo	83,177
277	Araxa	82,484
278	Abreu e Lima	81,848
279	Itajuba	81,759
280	Lavras	81,361
281	Avare	81,174
282	Formosa	81,121
283	Leme	81,098
284	Cruzeiro do Sul	79,708
285	Itumbiara	79,471
286	Marica	79,440
287	Ubatuba	78,896
288	Tres Lagoas	78,601
289	Sao Joao del Rei	78,481
290	Mogi Mirim	78,133
291	Abaetetuba	77,939
292	Sao Bento do Sul	77,486
293	Itauna	77,289
294	Sao Mateus	77,006
295	Jatai	76,436
296	Sao Joao da Boa Vista	76,429
297	Lorena	76,395
298	Santa Cruz do Capibaribe	76,339
299	Sao Sebastiao	76,256
300	Tucurui	76,226
301	Embu Guacu	76,199
302	Sapiranga	75,940
303	Para de Minas	75,675
304	Campo Mourao	75,290
305	Cachoeira do Sul	74,583
306	Santo Antonio de Jesus	73,846
307	Paranavai	72,737
308	Joao Monlevade	72,651
309	Matao	72,357
310	Bacabal	72,261
311	Cacapava	72,229
312	Aruja	71,966
313	Cruzeiro	71,911
314	Patrocinio	71,852
315	Tres Rios	71,833
316	Bebedouro	71,751
317	Sao Cristovao	71,428
318	Alfenas	71,295
319	Ijui	71,091
320	Altamira	70,777
321	Paracatu	70,642
322	Carpina	70,578
323	Iguatu	70,269
324	Votuporanga	69,752
325	Paragominas	69,502
326	Lins	69,340
327	Jaboticabal	69,283
328	Vicosa	68,569
329	Sao Sebastiao do Paraiso	68,543
330	Balsas	67,945
331	Itatiba	67,823
332	Santa Ines	67,313
333	Tubarao	67,134
334	Pato Branco	65,643
335	Paulinia	65,484
336	Lajeado	65,296
337	Cruz Alta	65,164
338	Aquiraz	65,005
339	Itacoatiara	64,826
340	Gurupi	64,678
341	Itaituba	64,645
342	Santo Angelo	64,495
343	Parintins	64,317
344	Curvelo	63,843
345	Itabaiana	63,777
346	Cacador	63,615
347	Ouro Preto	63,567
348	Caldas Novas	63,564
349	Irece	63,515
350	Catalao	63,433
351	Tres Coracoes	63,346
352	Rio Largo	63,276
353	Vilhena	63,120
354	Valenca	63,120
355	Peruibe	62,919
356	Itapeva	62,846
357	Cataguases	62,507
358	Saquarema	61,945
359	Tupa	61,924
360	Fernandopolis	61,820
361	Senador Canedo	61,689
362	Itapira	61,496
363	Gravata	61,138
364	Valenca	61,033
365	Pirassununga	60,302
366	Unai	60,091
367	Caratinga	59,955
368	Itapetinga	59,610
369	Mococa	59,543
370	Sao Borja	59,502
371	Carazinho	59,306
372	Santa Rosa	58,846
373	Telemaco Borba	58,769
374	Guanambi	58,766
375	Aracruz	58,160
376	Ariquemes	57,985
377	Farroupilha	57,539
378	Francisco Beltrao	57,507
379	Picos	57,384
380	Lencois Paulista	57,264
381	Arcoverde	57,052
382	Braganca	57,052
383	Vacaria	56,654
384	Cajamar	56,571
385	Janauba	56,461
386	Vinhedo	56,381
387	Formiga	56,293
388	Cianorte	55,883
389	Nova Vicosa	55,869
390	Itapipoca	55,673
391	Ponta Pora	55,652
392	Estancia	55,543
393	Cacoal	55,449
394	Sao Gabriel	55,323
395	Concordia	55,256
396	Pacatuba	55,180
397	Viana	55,011
398	Sao Pedro da Aldeia	54,903
399	Caico	54,823
400	Seropedica	54,735

Ethnic conditions

The population is very mixed and is often called a rainbow of people and cultures. Most originate from South American Indians, Africans and whites from Europe and the Middle East. The Portuguese colonial community viewed the various peoples as a continuum, and did not have the same sharp black-and-white distinction as, for example, in the southern states of the United States. A mixed population therefore developed rapidly, and the Portuguese language became rich in terms describing origin. For example, a person with mixed European/African background is called mulata, European/Native American background for cabloco or mameluco, while African/Native American background is called cafuzo. It is also common to describe skin color, and the census has questions about it (unlike today’s North America where the focus is more on ethnicity). At the 2000 census, 54% said they considered themselves white (branca), 6% considered black (preta), 0.5% considered yellow (amarela; with East Asian origin), 39% considered mixed (parda) and 0.4% consider themselves indigenous. There are regional differences. In the Southern region, the proportion of whites is 84%, while it is around 30% in the Northeast and Northern regions. There is a clear trend in the census that the proportion of mixed provenance is becoming more and more common, and in the North and Northeast region a clear majority already belong to this group.

The black population comes from slaves taken from West Africa, Nigeria, Angola and Mozambique. It is uncertain how many slaves were transferred to Brazil altogether, but it is generally accepted that the figure is most likely to be between 3.5 million and 4 million. on their hand power. The first slaves were set to work on sugar plantations in the Northeast region and in Rio de Janeiro, replacing Native American slaves. Later, in the 18th century when gold was found in Minas Gerais, new slaves were set to work in the mines. Although the mortality rate among slaves was extremely high, the number of slaves quickly exceeded the number of whites. It is estimated that in the early 1800s was ²/₃ of Brazil under 3 million. Non-indigenous residents African slaves. After the abolition of slavery in 1888, almost all of the freed slaves were in deep poverty. Still today, access to education, health care and the labor market are generally significantly lower for blacks than for whites. Blue. average salaries are more than twice as high for whites as for blacks. Traditionally, it is almost exclusively in the fields of arts, entertainment and sports that one finds blacks with professional success. The largest number of blacks resides in the state Bahia; followed by São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Maranhão.

It is difficult to estimate how many Indians who lived in today’s Brazil at the European discovery of the country in the year 1500. A common estimate is approximately 5 million spread over 1400 tribes and in 1300 different languages. At the 2000 census, 701,000 people considered themselves Indians. This is a drastic increase since 1990, where until then there was a steady decline. Today’s Indians represent approximately 215 ethnic groups and speak 180 different languages ​​and dialects. It is known that (as of 2002) there are still groups that have not yet had contact with white people. The number of people who identify as Native Americans is growing much more strongly than the general population, partly because improved health services have effectively improved social indicators such as life expectancy and child mortality., and partly because the demarcation of Native American land has intensified on the basis of the Constitution of 1988. In total, 12% of Brazil’s land is registered (or is in a registration process) as Native American land. The largest areas are in the states of Amazonas, Pará and Roraima, but land is allocated in all the states except Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte. However, it is a major problem that their lands are invaded by settlers, gold diggers and others who wish to exploit forest resources and/or plant plantations. A related problem is whites that carry diseases, including malaria, and which otherwise have a negative impact on their environment and culture.

Immigration

The first whites, who came from Portugal, settled in the country as early as 1531. Immigration of whites was relatively small for the first 300 years. The Portuguese immigrants were not usually laborers, but fortune hunters who wanted material wealth as soon as possible, managers and owners of plantations or colony administrators. Modern immigration started only after independence from Portugal. Between 1819 and 1883 there were approximately 500,000 immigrants. Later the rate of immigration increased, and between 1884 and 1954 4.6 million immigrants came from Europe. Of these last, approximately 32% Italians, 30% Portuguese, 14% Spaniards and 4% Germans.

The Germans began to arrive in 1820 and settled first in Rio Grande do Sul, later also in Santa Catarina. Austrians and Hungarians arrived from 1884 and settled in São Paulo. Slavs (Poles, Russians, Ukrainians and Yugoslavs) arrived in Paraná between 1875 and 1890. The majority of Spaniards arrived between 1901 and 1913 and settled primarily in São Paulo, but also in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and in Rio Grande do Sul. The Italians arrived from 1861 and settled first in Rio Grande do Sul, later in São Paulo. The three southern states (the southern region) still retain much of their European character to this day.

In Brazil, there are currently more than 1 million descendants of Japanese and Korean immigrants who are particularly active in coffee, cotton and tea production. São Paulo today has the world’s largest colony of Japanese outside Japan.

Migration

There is great mobility in the population. A sustained stream of poor people is moving from the Northeast and south to the relatively rich and industrialized Southeast with the huge metropolitan cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte. Periodically since 1960, large groups have also moved to the vast, sparsely populated areas of the North and Central West. The pioneer cities here grow by 5% or more a year. Here, resourceful pioneers (entrepreneurs) move from the Southeast and South regions as well as large groups of poor job seekers from the Northeast. The opening of these areas began with the construction of the new capital of Brazil in 1960 (the “march to the west”), and has continued with the construction of new roads through the Amazon. These roads have also opened up for rural migration by colonists who buy up land and plant huge plantations and cattle farms. A new migration trend emerged in the 1990s when large numbers of people began to return to their original home districts in the Northeast region due to improved quality of life and job opportunities at their home.

Settlement

In relation to the area, Brazil is sparsely populated: 21.6 residents per km². However, the population is very unevenly distributed and the predominant proportion lives in a belt along the coast. The Southeast region with São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro has 43% of the population of 11% of the area. By comparison, the North and Central West regions, with 65% of the area, have only 14% of the population. Internal migration is causing cities to grow rapidly, and Brazil’s population is becoming increasingly urbanized. In 2000, 81% of Brazil’s population lived in cities, up from 56% in 1970.

Language

The country’s official language and mother tongue for the majority of the population is Portuguese.

Among the most widely used Native American languages ​​are gê, arawak and tupí-guaraní.