Demographics of Brazil - Statistics & Facts
Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world, not only by are, but by population as well. This South American country is inhabited by a total of 215 million people, making it the second most populated country in the American continent, only surpassed by the United States. Most Brazilians are located in the Eastern and Southern regions. The North region, which encompasses almost half of the national territory and most of the Brazil's Legal Amazon has, by contrast, a low population density. Brazilian population is, furthermore, eminently urban. With 87.6 percent of its inhabitants living in cities, it is one of the countries with the largest urban population worldwide. Brazil’s largest metropolises, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, are home to 11.45 and 6.21 million people, respectively.
According to the latest census, 45 percent of Brazilians considered themselves Pardos in 2022, a category used by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) to designate people with a mixed ethnic ancestry, while 43 percent were white and another 10.6 were Black. Nevertheless, the ethnic distribution varies considerably across the country. For instance, in the North, 70 percent of the population identify as Pardo Brazilian, while this share fell to 21 percent in the South, where nearly 73 of inhabitants are white.
Declining fertility rates and rising life expectancy are the leading factors behind this increase in the median age. In 1920, the fertility rate in Brazil stood at 5.9 births per woman, increasing to above six during the baby boom of the 1950s before turning to the downward trend experienced ever since. In 2020 it stood at its lowest level, 1.74 births per woman, falling below the replacement fertility rate, which is around 2.1 live births per woman in most industrialized countries, but slightly higher in developing nations.
The average life expectancy at birth in 2021 was 72.75 years, compared to the average of 73.34 years registered a decade earlier, and only slightly above the average in the Latin American and Caribbean region. This value differed between women and men, with the former having an average life expectancy about seven years higher than males. Simultaneously, both the infant mortality rate and the adult mortality rate have decreased to its lowest values, reflecting, among others, a better prevention system and greater access to and quality of health care and education. However, since 2019, the adult mortality rate skyrocketed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ethnic composition
Brazil is made up of a tapestry of ethnicities, with a considerable share of the population having a racial mix. The country’s population is formed by indigenous people (distributed in hundreds of ethnic groups, with the Guarani and Ticuna among the largest ones), descendants of European migrants and settlers (mainly Portuguese, but also Dutch, German, Italian, and Polish -- depending on the region and the time period of the migratory movement) and descendants of African slaves and migrants. There is also a considerable number of Brazilians of East Asian and Middle Eastern descent.According to the latest census, 45 percent of Brazilians considered themselves Pardos in 2022, a category used by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) to designate people with a mixed ethnic ancestry, while 43 percent were white and another 10.6 were Black. Nevertheless, the ethnic distribution varies considerably across the country. For instance, in the North, 70 percent of the population identify as Pardo Brazilian, while this share fell to 21 percent in the South, where nearly 73 of inhabitants are white.
A country with young population
Brazil is experiencing a demographic change typical in many developing countries, with a substantial increase in life expectancy and median age while fertility and mortality rates fall. The average age of the Brazilian population has been rising in recent years, from a low of 16.8 years in 1965 to 32.4 years in 2020. It remains, however, far from the median age registered in developed countries such as Japan, Italy, or South Korea, where it exceeds 43 years. A large share of the Brazilian population is young; as of 2022, the number of inhabitants below the age of 15 was more than double those aged 65 or above.Declining fertility rates and rising life expectancy are the leading factors behind this increase in the median age. In 1920, the fertility rate in Brazil stood at 5.9 births per woman, increasing to above six during the baby boom of the 1950s before turning to the downward trend experienced ever since. In 2020 it stood at its lowest level, 1.74 births per woman, falling below the replacement fertility rate, which is around 2.1 live births per woman in most industrialized countries, but slightly higher in developing nations.
The average life expectancy at birth in 2021 was 72.75 years, compared to the average of 73.34 years registered a decade earlier, and only slightly above the average in the Latin American and Caribbean region. This value differed between women and men, with the former having an average life expectancy about seven years higher than males. Simultaneously, both the infant mortality rate and the adult mortality rate have decreased to its lowest values, reflecting, among others, a better prevention system and greater access to and quality of health care and education. However, since 2019, the adult mortality rate skyrocketed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
