While Brazil bursts with over 203 million vibrant inhabitants, its vast lands hold far fewer people per square kilometer than you might imagine.
Key Takeaways
- Brazil's population reached 203,062,512 inhabitants according to the 2022 census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE)
- As of July 2023, Brazil's median age is 33.2 years, with 23.2% of the population under 15 years old
- Brazil has a population density of 25 people per square kilometer, making it one of the least densely populated countries despite its size
- Brazil's GDP nominal reached $2.131 trillion USD in 2023, making it the 9th largest economy globally
- GDP per capita in Brazil was $10,412 USD in 2023
- Brazil's GDP growth rate was 2.9% in 2023
- Brazil's area spans 8,515,767 square kilometers, the 5th largest country by land area
- The Amazon rainforest covers 5.5 million square km in Brazil, 60% of total Amazon basin
- Brazil's coastline stretches 7,491 km along the Atlantic Ocean
- Brazil is a federal presidential republic with 26 states and federal district
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was inaugurated for third term on January 1, 2023
- Brazil's National Congress has 513 deputies in Chamber of Deputies and 81 senators
- Life expectancy at birth in Brazil is 76.0 years overall in 2023
- Infant mortality rate fell to 12.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022
- Brazil has 2.4 hospital beds per 1,000 people in 2023
Brazil is a vast, diverse nation with a young urban population and a large emerging economy.
Demographics
- Brazil's population reached 203,062,512 inhabitants according to the 2022 census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE)
- As of July 2023, Brazil's median age is 33.2 years, with 23.2% of the population under 15 years old
- Brazil has a population density of 25 people per square kilometer, making it one of the least densely populated countries despite its size
- Urban population in Brazil accounts for 87.1% of the total population as of 2023
- Brazil's fertility rate stands at 1.63 children born per woman in 2023, below the replacement level of 2.1
- Life expectancy at birth in Brazil is 75.9 years for males and 80.6 years for females as of 2023
- Brazil's largest city, São Paulo, has a metropolitan population of 22.6 million people in 2023
- The state of São Paulo holds 21.9% of Brazil's total population, approximately 44.4 million residents in 2022
- Brazil's youth population (ages 15-24) constitutes 15.3% of the total population in 2023
- Immigrants make up 0.8% of Brazil's population, with over 1.6 million foreign-born residents as of 2022
- Brazil's population growth rate was 0.52% annually between 2020-2023
- There are 92.1 million women aged 15 and over in Brazil, representing 51.03% of the total population in 2022
- Brazil's elderly population (65+) is projected to reach 33.1 million by 2030
- The Amazon region accounts for 12% of Brazil's population despite covering 43% of its land area in 2022
- Brazil has 5,570 municipalities, with an average population of 36,400 per municipality in 2022
- Indigenous population in Brazil is 1.3 million, or 0.64% of total, according to 2022 census
- Brazil's black population (pretos and pardos) comprises 56.1% of the total in 2022
- White Brazilians make up 43.1% of the population per 2022 IBGE census data
- Asian descent population in Brazil is 1%, around 2 million people in 2022
- Brazil's net migration rate is -0.06 migrants per 1,000 population in 2023
- Households in Brazil average 2.8 persons per household in 2022 census
- Brazil's working-age population (15-64) is 139.5 million, 68.6% of total in 2023
- Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area has 13.3 million inhabitants in 2023
- Northeast Brazil region has 57 million people, 28% of national total in 2022
- Brazil's infant population (0-4 years) is 10.2% or 20.7 million in 2022
- Single-person households in Brazil rose to 18.1% of total households in 2022
- Brazil's population is projected to peak at 231 million in 2042 before declining
- Religious affiliation: 65% Catholic, 22% Evangelical in Brazil 2022 census
- Brazil has 11.2 million people with disabilities, 5.5% of population in 2022
Demographics Interpretation
Brazil is a nation of youthful, urban-dwelling contrasts where a vast young population packs into coastal cities leaving an enormous interior sparsely inhabited, all while quietly transitioning toward an older, slower-growing future that will challenge its current energetic character.
Economy
- Brazil's GDP nominal reached $2.131 trillion USD in 2023, making it the 9th largest economy globally
- GDP per capita in Brazil was $10,412 USD in 2023
- Brazil's GDP growth rate was 2.9% in 2023
- Inflation rate (CPI) in Brazil averaged 4.6% in 2023
- Unemployment rate in Brazil was 7.9% in 2023
- Brazil's public debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 88.2% in 2023
- Exports from Brazil totaled $334.5 billion USD in 2023, led by soybeans and iron ore
- Imports to Brazil were $240.8 billion USD in 2023, mainly machinery and electronics
- Brazil's current account balance showed a deficit of 2.0% of GDP in 2023
- Foreign direct investment inflow to Brazil was $66.7 billion in 2023
- Agriculture contributes 6.8% to Brazil's GDP, employing 9.4% of workforce in 2023
- Industry sector accounts for 20.7% of GDP in Brazil 2023
- Services sector dominates with 72.5% of Brazil's GDP in 2023
- Brazil's stock market capitalization reached $1.05 trillion USD in 2023
- Minimum wage in Brazil is 1,412 BRL per month as of 2024, equivalent to $264 USD
- Brazil produced 4.68 million barrels of oil per day in 2023
- Soybean production in Brazil hit 169 million metric tons in the 2023/24 harvest
- Brazil's iron ore exports reached 381 million tons in 2023
- Tourism generated $7.3 billion USD in revenue for Brazil in 2023
- Brazil's Gini coefficient, measuring inequality, was 52.9 in 2022
- Household saving rate in Brazil is 15.2% of disposable income in 2023
- Corporate tax rate in Brazil is 34% effective rate in 2023
- Brazil's labor force participation rate is 62.3% for ages 15+ in 2023
- Remittances received by Brazil totaled $4.1 billion USD in 2023
- Brazil's total reserves (excl. gold) were $355.7 billion USD in 2023
- Ease of doing business rank for Brazil improved to 124th out of 190 in 2020 (latest)
Economy Interpretation
Brazil is a potent economic cocktail—a heavyweight champion in global agriculture and resources, served with a side of stubborn inequality and a sobering public debt chaser.
Geography and Climate
- Brazil's area spans 8,515,767 square kilometers, the 5th largest country by land area
- The Amazon rainforest covers 5.5 million square km in Brazil, 60% of total Amazon basin
- Brazil's coastline stretches 7,491 km along the Atlantic Ocean
- Highest point in Brazil is Pico da Neblina at 2,995 meters in Amazonas state
- Brazil has 12,591 km of navigable waterways, primarily Amazon and Paraná rivers
- Pantanal wetlands cover 150,000 square km, the world's largest tropical wetland
- Brazil borders 10 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, etc., with 16,145 km land boundaries
- Average annual temperature in Brazil is 25°C, varying from 20°C south to 28°C north
- Brazil receives 1,799 mm average annual precipitation, highest in Amazon at 2,500 mm
- Atlantic Forest biome originally covered 1.5 million sq km, now only 12% remains
- Brazil has over 55,000 species of flowering plants, 30% endemic
- Cerrado savanna spans 2 million sq km, 22% of Brazil's territory
- Caatinga dry forest covers 850,000 sq km in Northeast Brazil
- Brazil's exclusive economic zone is 3.66 million sq km in Atlantic
- Iguaçu Falls has 275 drops, widest waterfall system at 2.7 km
- Rio Negro is the world's widest river, up to 11 km at points
- Brazil experiences tropical climate in 60% of territory
- Annual deforestation rate in Brazilian Amazon was 9,000 sq km in 2023
- Brazil has 1,200 bird species, 17% endemic to the country
- Pampas grasslands cover 178,000 sq km in southern Brazil
- Brazil's lowest point is sea level Atlantic coast
- Serra do Mar mountain range extends 1,500 km along southeast coast
- Brazil holds 12% of world's freshwater, mainly Amazon basin rivers
- Hurricane season affects southern Brazil rarely, last major in 2024
- Chapada Diamantina has 1,200 caves, key karst landscape
- Brazil's latitudinal range 5°N to 33°S, longitudinal 35°W to 74°W
- Araucaria moist forests cover 216,000 sq km in south
- Brazil has 67 UNESCO biosphere reserves, most in world
- Fernando de Noronha archipelago has 21 islands, 26 sq km area
Geography and Climate Interpretation
Brazil is a continent-sized ecological treasure chest that, while frantically trying to guard its vast, wet, and wildly biodiverse contents from its own hand, still manages to be jaw-droppingly immense in every conceivable geographical dimension.
Health and Society
- Life expectancy at birth in Brazil is 76.0 years overall in 2023
- Infant mortality rate fell to 12.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022
- Brazil has 2.4 hospital beds per 1,000 people in 2023
- Physicians density is 2.3 per 1,000 population in Brazil 2023
- Obesity rate among adults in Brazil is 22.4% in 2022
- HIV prevalence is 0.5% among adults 15-49 in 2022
- Vaccination coverage for DTP3 in children 12-23 months is 91% in 2022
- Maternal mortality ratio is 59 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020
- Suicide rate is 6.2 per 100,000 population in 2019 (latest)
- Literacy rate for adults 15+ is 94.7% in 2022 census
- Mean years of schooling in Brazil is 8.1 years in 2022
- Secondary school enrollment net rate is 81.2% for relevant age group 2022
- PISA 2022 score average for Brazil: 398 in math, 410 reading, 403 science
- Homicide victimization rate 21.6 per 100,000 in 2022
- Internet users penetration 81.9% of population in 2023
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 132 per 100 people in 2023
- Electricity access 100% of population in 2023
- Improved sanitation facilities access 81% rural, 96% urban in 2022
- Undernourishment prevalence 2.8% of population 2019-2021
- Diabetes prevalence among adults 9.1% in 2022
- Tuberculosis incidence 29.1 cases per 100,000 in 2022
- Higher education gross enrollment ratio 52.6% in 2021
- Youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) rate 23.6% ages 15-24 in 2022
- Child labor rate 5.6% for ages 5-17 prohibited work in 2022
- Gender parity index in primary education 0.99 in 2022
- Adolescent birth rate 52.5 per 1,000 women 15-19 in 2022
- At-risk-of-poverty rate 25.3% in 2022 IBGE data
Health and Society Interpretation
Brazil is a nation of resilient hearts and systemic paradoxes, where a child is far more likely to learn to read than to get a hospital bed, and the battle for a long life is fought more against chronic disease and inequality than against infant mortality.
Politics and Government
- Brazil is a federal presidential republic with 26 states and federal district
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was inaugurated for third term on January 1, 2023
- Brazil's National Congress has 513 deputies in Chamber of Deputies and 81 senators
- Voting is compulsory for ages 18-70, with 156 million registered voters in 2022
- Last general election turnout was 79.4% in 2022 presidential race
- Supreme Federal Court has 11 justices, appointed for life
- Brazil ranks 96th in Corruption Perceptions Index 2023 with score 36/100
- Military personnel active: 360,000 army, 80,000 navy, 80,000 air force in 2023
- Defense budget was 1.3% of GDP or $23.6 billion USD in 2023
- Brazil has diplomatic relations with 199 countries, member of UN, BRICS, G20
- Homicide rate dropped to 20.7 per 100,000 in 2023
- Press Freedom Index rank for Brazil is 83rd out of 180 in 2024
- Women hold 18% of seats in Chamber of Deputies post-2022 election
- Indigenous representation: 3 federal deputies elected in 2022
- Brazil's constitution dates to 1988, with 250 amendments by 2023
- Federal budget for 2024 is 5.75 trillion BRL
- Local governments: 5,570 mayors elected in 2020 municipal elections
- Brazil abolished monarchy on November 15, 1889, becoming republic
- Political parties: 29 registered, but 7 major in 2022 elections
- Human Development Index rank 89th globally in 2022 with 0.760 score
- Brazil hosted G20 summit in 2024 in Rio de Janeiro
- Electoral quota for women parties must allocate 30% female candidates
- Supreme Electoral Court fined parties BRL 478 million for irregularities in 2022
- Brazil's federal police force has 14,000 agents in 2023
- Presidential term limit: two consecutive 4-year terms max
- Congress approval rating was 9% in Datafolha poll December 2023
- Brazil ratified Paris Agreement in 2016, submitting NDC updates in 2023
Politics and Government Interpretation
With robust democratic machinery—complete with compulsory voting, a Congress less popular than a root canal, and a constitution amended more often than a cheap suit—Brazil presents the world with a vibrant, if perpetually under-construction, federal republic grappling earnestly with its immense potential and persistent contradictions.
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