Population: Nationality: Ethnic groups: Languages: Religions: Demographic profile: Age structure: Dependency ratios: Median age: Population growth rate: Birth rate: Death rate: Net migration rate: Population distribution: Urbanization: Major urban areas - population: Sex ratio: Maternal mortality rate: Infant mortality rate: Life expectancy at birth: Total fertility rate: Contraceptive prevalence rate: Health expenditures: Physicians density: Hospital bed density: Drinking water source: Sanitation facility access: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS - deaths: Major infectious diseases: Obesity - adult prevalence rate: Children under the age of 5 years underweight: Education expenditures: Literacy: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): Child labor - children ages 5-14: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
205,823,665 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
[see also: Population country ranks ]
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian
white 47.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 43.1%, black 7.6%, Asian 1.1%, indigenous 0.4% (2010 est.)
Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language)
note: less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools), German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minor Amerindian languages
Roman Catholic 64.6%, other Catholic 0.4%, Protestant 22.2% (includes Adventist 6.5%, Assembly of God 2.0%, Christian Congregation of Brazil 1.2%, Universal Kingdom of God 1.0%, other Protestant 11.5%), other Christian 0.7%, Spiritist 2.2%, other 1.4%, none 8%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)
Brazil's rapid fertility decline since the 1960s is the main factor behind the country's slowing population growth rate, aging population, and fast-paced demographic transition. Brasilia has not taken full advantage of its large working-age population to develop its human capital and strengthen its social and economic institutions but is funding a study abroad program to bring advanced skills back to the country. The current favorable age structure will begin to shift around 2025, with the labor force shrinking and the elderly starting to compose an increasing share of the total population. Well-funded public pensions have nearly wiped out poverty among the elderly, and Bolsa Familia and other social programs have lifted tens of millions out of poverty. More than half of Brazil's population is considered middle class, but poverty and income inequality levels remain high; the Northeast, North, and Center-West, women, and black, mixed race, and indigenous populations are disproportionately affected. Disparities in opportunities foster social exclusion and contribute to Brazil's high crime rate, particularly violent crime in cities and favelas.
Brazil has traditionally been a net recipient of immigrants, with its southeast being the prime destination. After the importation of African slaves was outlawed in the mid-19th century, Brazil sought Europeans (Italians, Portuguese, Spaniards, and Germans) and later Asians (Japanese) to work in agriculture, especially coffee cultivation. Recent immigrants come mainly from Argentina, Chile, and Andean countries (many are unskilled illegal migrants) or are returning Brazilian nationals. Since Brazil's economic downturn in the 1980s, emigration to the United States, Europe, and Japan has been rising but is negligible relative to Brazil's total population. The majority of these emigrants are well-educated and middle-class. Fewer Brazilian peasants are emigrating to neighboring countries to take up agricultural work.
0-14 years: 22.79% (male 23,905,185/female 22,994,222)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 16.43% (male 17,146,060/female 16,661,163)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 43.84% (male 44,750,568/female 45,489,430)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 8.89% (male 8,637,011/female 9,656,370)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 8.06% (male 7,059,944/female 9,523,712) (2016 est.)
[see also: Age structure 65 years and over country ranks ]
population pyramid:
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.
total dependency ratio: 44.7%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 33.3%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 11.3%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 8.8% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]
total: 31.6 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 30.7 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 32.4 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 104
0.75% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]
14.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]
6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]
the vast majority of people live along, or relatively near, the Atlantic coast in the east; the population core is in the southeast, anchored by the cities of Sao Paolo, Brazilia, and Rio de Janeiro
urban population: 85.7% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 1.17% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]
Sao Paulo 21.066 million; Rio de Janeiro 12.902 million; Belo Horizonte 5.716 million; BRASILIA (capital) 4.155 million; Fortaleza 3.88 million; Recife 3.739 million (2015)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
44 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]
total: 18 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 14.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 94
total population: 73.8 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 70.2 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 77.5 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 127
1.76 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]
80.3% (2006)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]
8.3% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 31
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]
1.89 physicians/1,000 population (2013)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]
2.3 beds/1,000 population (2012)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]
improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 87% of population
total: 98.1% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved:
urban: 0% of population
rural: 13% of population
total: 1.9% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]
improved:
urban: 88% of population
rural: 51.5% of population
total: 82.8% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved:
urban: 12% of population
rural: 48.5% of population
total: 17.2% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]
0.58% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]
826,700 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]
15,300 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)
20.1% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 102
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]
2.2% (2007)
country comparison to the world: 121
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]
6% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world: 49
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.6%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 92.2%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 92.9% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]
total: 15 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: 15 years
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: 16 years (2013)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]
total number: 959,942
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - total number country ranks ]
percentage: 3%
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - percentage country ranks ]
note: data represent children ages 5-13 (2009 est.)
total: 15%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - total country ranks ]
male: 12.3%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - male country ranks ]
female: 18.7% (2013 est.)
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 76