Following more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889. Brazilian coffee exporters politically dominated the country until populist leader Getúlio VARGAS rose to power in 1930. VARGAS governed over various versions of democratic and authoritarian regimes from 1930 to 1945. Democratic rule returned (including a democratically elected VARGAS administration from 1951 to 1955) and lasted until 1964, when the military overthrew President João GOULART. The military regime censored journalists and repressed and tortured dissidents in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The dictatorship lasted until 1985, when the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers, and the Brazilian Congress passed its current constitution in 1989.
By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Having successfully weathered a period of global financial difficulty in the late 20th century, under President Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (2003-2010) Brazil was seen as one of the world’s strongest emerging markets and a contributor to global growth. The awarding of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the first ever to be held in South America, was symbolic of the country’s rise. However, from about 2013 to 2016, Brazil was plagued by a sagging economy, high unemployment, and high inflation, only emerging from recession in 2017. Former President Dilma ROUSSEFF (2011-2016) was removed from office in 2016 by Congress for having committed impeachable acts against Brazil’s budgetary laws, and her vice president, Michel TEMER, served the remainder of her second term. A money-laundering investigation, Operation Lava Jato, uncovered a vast corruption scheme and prosecutors charged several high-profile Brazilian politicians with crimes. Former-President LULA was convicted of accepting bribes and served jail time (2018-19), although his conviction was overturned in early 2021. LULA’s revival became complete in October 2022 when he narrowly defeated incumbent Jair BOLSONARO (2019-2022) in the presidential election.
land: 8,358,140 sq km
water: 157,630 sq km
note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo
border countries (10): Argentina 1,263 km; Bolivia 3,403 km; Colombia 1,790 km; French Guiana 649 km; Guyana 1,308 km; Paraguay 1,371 km; Peru 2,659 km; Suriname 515 km; Uruguay 1,050 km; Venezuela 2,137 km
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 320 m
arable land: 8.6% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 23.5% (2018 est.)
forest: 61.9% (2018 est.)
other: 5.2% (2018 est.)
salt water lake(s): Lagoa Mirim (shared with Uruguay) - 2,970 sq km
note 2: cassava (manioc) the sixth most important food crop in the world - after maize, rice, wheat, potatoes, and soybeans - seems to have originated in the west-central part of Brazil; pineapples are probably indigenous to the southern Brazil-Paraguay region
note 3: Rocas Atoll, located off the northeast coast of Brazil, is the only atoll in the South Atlantic
218,689,757 (2023 est.)
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian
White 47.7%, mixed 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
major-language sample(s):
O Livro de Fatos Mundiais, a fonte indispensável para informação básica. (Brazilian Portuguese)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic 50%, Evangelical 31%, Spiritist 3%, Umbanda, Candomble, or other Afro-Brazilian religions 2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist 1%, other 2%, none 10% (2020 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 (slums).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: 19.77% (male 22,084,172/female 21,148,290)
15-64 years: 69.72% (male 75,612,047/female 76,853,504)
65 years and over: 10.51% (2023 est.) (male 9,848,975/female 13,142,769)
total dependency ratio: 43.1
youth dependency ratio: 29.4
elderly dependency ratio: 13.7
potential support ratio: 7.3 (2021 est.)
total: 34.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 33.6 years
female: 35.7 years
0.64% (2023 est.)
13.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
6.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
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 São Paolo, Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro
urban population: 87.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
22.620 million São Paulo, 13.728 million Rio de Janeiro, 6.248 million Belo Horizonte, 4.873 million BRASÍLIA (capital), 4.264 million Recife, 4.212 million Porto Alegre (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
72 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 13.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 14.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.5 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 76.1 years (2023 est.)
male: 72.6 years
female: 79.8 years
1.75 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.85 (2023 est.)
80.5% (2019)
improved: urban: 99.8% of population
rural: 96.9% of population
total: 99.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.2% of population
rural: 3.1% of population
total: 0.6% of population (2020 est.)
10.3% of GDP (2020)
2.31 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
2.1 beds/1,000 population (2017)
improved: urban: 94.1% of population
rural: 63.6% of population
total: 90.2% of population
unimproved: urban: 5.9% of population
rural: 36.4% of population
total: 9.8% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: very high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
22.1% (2016)
total: 6.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 3.84 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 12.8% (2020 est.)
male: 16.2% (2020 est.)
female: 9.4% (2020 est.)
NA
55.9% (2023 est.)
6% of GDP (2019 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.3%
male: 94.1%
female: 94.5% (2021)
total: 16 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2020)
deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; illegal wildlife trade; illegal poaching; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping-London Protocol
mostly tropical, but temperate in south
agricultural land: 32.9% (2018 est.)
arable land: 8.6% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 23.5% (2018 est.)
forest: 61.9% (2018 est.)
other: 5.2% (2018 est.)
urban population: 87.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.62% of GDP (2018 est.)
0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 10.94 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 462.3 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 401.83 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 79,889,010 tons (2015 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 1,118,446 tons (2014 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 1.4% (2014 est.)
fresh water lake(s): Lagoa dos Patos - 10,140 sq km
salt water lake(s): Lagoa Mirim (shared with Uruguay) - 2,970 sq km
Amazon river mouth (shared with Peru [s]) - 6,400 km; Río de la Plata/Paraná river source (shared with Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay [m]) - 4,880 km; Tocantins - 3,650 km; São Francisco - 3,180 km; Paraguay river source (shared with Argentina and Paraguay [m]) - 2,549 km; Rio Negro river mouth (shared with Colombia [s] and Venezuela) - 2,250 km; Uruguay river source (shared with Argentina and Uruguay [m]) - 1,610 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 sq km), Orinoco (953,675 sq km), Paraná (2,582,704 sq km), São Francisco (617,814 sq km), Tocantins (764,213 sq km)
Amazon Basin, Guarani Aquifer System, Maranhao Basin
municipal: 16.13 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 9.51 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 41.42 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
8.65 trillion cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial-led economic growth model; recovering from 2014-2016 recession when COVID-19 hit; industry limited by Amazon rainforest but increasing deforestation; new macroeconomic structural reforms; high income inequality; left UNASUR to join PROSUR
$3.128 trillion (2021 est.)
$2.989 trillion (2020 est.)
$3.11 trillion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
4.62% (2021 est.)
-3.88% (2020 est.)
1.22% (2019 est.)
$14,600 (2021 est.)
$14,000 (2020 est.)
$14,700 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$1,877,942,000,000 (2019 est.)
8.3% (2021 est.)
3.21% (2020 est.)
3.73% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: BB (2023)
Moody’s rating: Ba2 (2016)
Standard & Poors rating: BB- (2018)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 6.6% (2017 est.)
industry: 20.7% (2017 est.)
services: 72.7% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 63.4% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 20% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 15.6% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -0.1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 12.6% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -11.6% (2017 est.)
sugar cane, soybeans, maize, milk, cassava, oranges, poultry, rice, beef, cotton
textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment
4.48% (2021 est.)
99.47 million (2021 est.)
14.4% (2021 est.)
13.69% (2020 est.)
11.93% (2019 est.)
total: 31.9% (2021 est.)
male: 27%
female: 38.2%
4.2% (2016 est.)
note: approximately 4% of the population are below the “extreme” poverty line
48.9 (2020 est.)
on food: 15.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 1.5% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 43.4% (2016 est.)
revenues: $424.196 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $617.332 billion (2020 est.)
-1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
100.59% of GDP (2020 est.)
92.57% of GDP (2019 est.)
86.61% of GDP (2018 est.)
12.96% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$27.925 billion (2021 est.)
-$24.492 billion (2020 est.)
-$65.03 billion (2019 est.)
$317.175 billion (2021 est.)
$239.283 billion (2020 est.)
$260.075 billion (2019 est.)
note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
China 28%, United States 13% (2019)
iron, soybeans, crude petroleum, sugar, poultry meats (2021)
$297.924 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$227.854 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$269.017 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
China 21%, United States 18%, Germany 6%, Argentina 6% (2019)
refined petroleum, vehicle parts, crude petroleum, integrated circuits, pesticides (2019)
$362.21 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$355.614 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$356.886 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$681.336 billion (2019 est.)
$660.693 billion (2018 est.)
reals (BRL) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
5.394 (2021 est.)
5.155 (2020 est.)
3.944 (2019 est.)
3.654 (2018 est.)
3.191 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 99.4% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 99.7% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 97.3% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 195.037 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 540,997,340,000 kWh (2020 est.)
exports: 395 million kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 25.113 billion kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 105.727 billion kWh (2020 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 11.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 2.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 1.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 9.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 65.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 9.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Number of operational nuclear reactors: 2 (2023)
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 1
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 1.88GW (2023)
Percent of total electricity production: 2.5% (2021)
Percent of total energy produced: 1% (2021)
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 0
production: 13.993 million metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 31.841 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 16,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 19.217 million metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 6.596 billion metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 3,629,100 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 3,142,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 1,123,300 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 186,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 12,714,600,000 barrels (2021 est.)
2.811 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
279,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
490,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 25,395,979,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
consumption: 35,253,198,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 9,724,017,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 363.984 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
456.67 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 63.53 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 328.824 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 64.316 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
59.444 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 9 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 443
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 102,109,977 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,845,650,000 (2018) mt-km
PP
4,093 (2021)
698
civil airports: 35
military airports: 14
joint use (civil-military) airports: 17
other airports: 632
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
3,395
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
13 (2021)
5,959 km refined petroleum product (1,165 km distribution, 4,794 km transport), 11,696 km natural gas (2,274 km distribution, 9,422 km transport), 1,985 km crude oil (distribution), 77 km ethanol/petrochemical (37 km distribution, 40 km transport) (2016)
total: 29,849.9 km (2014)
standard gauge: 194 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 23,341.6 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge (24 km electrified)
broad gauge: 5,822.3 km (2014) 1.600-m gauge (498.3 km electrified)
dual gauge: 492 km (2014) 1.600-1.000-m gauge
total: 2 million km (2018)
paved: 246,000 km (2018)
unpaved: 1.754 million km (2018)
50,000 km (2012) (most in areas remote from industry and population)
total: 877 (2022)
by type: bulk carrier 11, container ship 20, general cargo 40, oil tanker 27, other 779
major seaport(s): Belem, Itajai, Paranagua, Rio Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Sao Sebastiao, Tubarao
oil terminal(s): DTSE/Gegua oil terminal, Ilha Grande (Gebig), Guaiba Island terminal, Guamare oil terminal
container port(s) (TEUs): Itajai (1,610,092), Paranagua (1,044,157), Santos (4,442,876) (2021)
LNG terminal(s) (import): Pecem, Rio de Janiero
river port(s): Manaus (Amazon)
dry bulk cargo port(s): Sepetiba ore terminal, Tubarao
manyapis