Population & Culture

The Brazilian population is estimated at 160 million people. Approximately 75% of the Brazilian population is urban and 55% are Caucasians of European origin. The other main ethnic groups are mulattos of European origin and Blacks (22%), Mestizo of European and Amerindian origin (12%) and Blacks (11%). The Native population represents only 0.1% of the total country.

Brazil has 26 states as well as the Federal District of Brasilia. The states are divided into five administrative regions: the North (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Randônia, Roraima, Tocantins), the Northeast (Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambouc, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe), the Southeast (Esperíto Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo), the South (Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina) and the Midwest which includes the Federal District of Brasilia (Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul). The capital of the country used to be in Rio de Janeiro and was transferred in 1960 to the new city of Brasilia.

The largest city is São Paulo with 10 million residents. The main areas are Rio de Janeiro with 6 million residents, as well as Pôrto Alegre, Salvador, Belém, Recife, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Manaus.

The country’s official language is Portuguese. However, many Brazilian residents speak a second language such as German or Italian, especially in the Southern cities.