{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "
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.
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. As of 2023, Brazil’s total fertility rate – the average number of children born per woman – was 1.75, below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to prevent a population decrease. The 2022 national census showed that population growth had slowed more than expected. Factors behind the decrease include fewer births as couples marry later and more women work, an increase in the mortality rate as the population ages, the Zika epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as economic troubles and the emigration of young people. The current window of opportunity to benefit from a demographic bonus – when the working-age population exceeds the number of children and the elderly combined – is expected to close around 2035, ten years earlier than expected.
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 abolishing slavery in 1888, the last country in the Americas to do so, Brazil sought Europeans (Italians, Portuguese, Spaniards, and Germans) and later Asians (Japanese) to work in agriculture, especially coffee cultivation. Lebanese and Syrian immigrants arrived at the end of the 19th century and focused on trade and later commerce. Between 2011 and 2020, the largest immigrant groups came from Venezuela, Haiti, Bolivia, Colombia, and the US. Since Brazil’s economic downturn in the 1980s, emigration to the United States, Paraguay, 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.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "19.77% (male 22,084,172/female 21,148,290)" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "69.72% (male 75,612,047/female 76,853,504)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "10.51% (2023 est.) (male 9,848,975/female 13,142,769)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "43.1" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "29.4" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "13.7" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "7.3 (2021 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "33.2 years" }, "male": { "text": "32.3 years" }, "female": { "text": "34.1 years (2020 est.)" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "0.64% (2023 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "13.44 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "6.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "-0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "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" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "87.8% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "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)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.04 male(s)/female" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "0.98 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.75 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)" } }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "72 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "13.11 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "male": { "text": "14.68 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "11.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "76.1 years" }, "male": { "text": "72.56 years" }, "female": { "text": "79.81 years (2023 est.)" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "1.75 children born/woman (2023 est.)" }, "Gross reproduction rate": { "text": "0.85 (2023 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "80.5% (2019)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 99.8% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 96.9% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 99.4% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0.2% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 3.1% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0.6% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current health expenditure": { "text": "10.3% of GDP (2020)" }, "Physicians density": { "text": "2.31 physicians/1,000 population (2019)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "2.1 beds/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 94.1% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 63.6% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 90.2% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 5.9% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 36.4% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 9.8% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Major infectious diseases": { "degree of risk": { "text": "very high (2023)" }, "food or waterborne diseases": { "text": "bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A" }, "vectorborne diseases": { "text": "dengue fever and malaria" }, "water contact diseases": { "text": "schistosomiasis" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "22.1% (2016)" }, "Alcohol consumption per capita": { "total": { "text": "6.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "beer": { "text": "3.84 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "wine": { "text": "0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "spirits": { "text": "2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "other alcohols": { "text": "0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" } }, "Tobacco use": { "total": { "text": "12.8% (2020 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "16.2% (2020 est.)" }, "female": { "text": "9.4% (2020 est.)" } }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "NA" }, "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": { "text": "55.9% (2023 est.)" }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "6% of GDP (2019 est.)" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "94.3%" }, "male": { "text": "94.1%" }, "female": { "text": "94.5% (2021)" } }, "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": { "total": { "text": "16 years" }, "male": { "text": "15 years" }, "female": { "text": "16 years (2020)" } }, "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": { "total": { "text": "31.9%" }, "male": { "text": "27%" }, "female": { "text": "38.2% (2021 est.)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "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" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "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": { "text": "Marine Dumping-London Protocol" } }, "Climate": { "text": "mostly tropical, but temperate in south" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "32.9% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 8.6% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 23.5% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "61.9% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "5.2% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "87.8% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "text": "0.62% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Revenue from coal": { "text": "0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "11.49 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "462.3 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "401.83 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "79,889,010 tons (2015 est.)" }, "municipal solid waste recycled annually": { "text": "1,118,446 tons (2014 est.)" }, "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": { "text": "1.4% (2014 est.)" } }, "Major lakes (area sq km)": { "fresh water lake(s)": { "text": "Lagoa dos Patos - 10,140 sq km" }, "salt water lake(s)": { "text": "Lagoa Mirim (shared with Uruguay) - 2,970 sq km" } }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { "text": "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 km2022: Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (PT) 48.4%, Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 43.2%, Simone Nassar TEBET (MDB) 4.2%, Ciro GOMES (PDT) 3%, other 1.2%; percent of vote in second round - Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (PT) 50.9%, Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 49.1%
2018: Jair BOLSONARO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 46%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 29.3%, Ciro GOMEZ (PDT) 12.5%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 4.8%, other 7.4%; percent of vote in second round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 55.1%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 44.9%
Act (Agir) [Daniel TOURINHO] (formerly Christian Labor Party or PTC)
Avante [Luis Henrique de Oliveira RESENDE] (formerly Labor Party of Brazil or PTdoB)
Brazil Union (União Brasil); note - founded from a merger between the Democrats (DEM) and the Social Liberal Party (PSL)
Brazilian Communist Party or PCB [Astrogildo PEREIRA]
Brazilian Democratic Movement or MDB [Luiz Felipe Baleia TENUTO Rossi]
Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Kassyo Santos RAMOS]
Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Júlio Cezar FIDELIX da Cruz]
Brazilian Labor Party or PTB
Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Bruno Cavalcanti de ARAÚJO]
Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Carlos Roberto SIQUEIRA de Barros]
Christian Democracy or DC [José Maria EYMAEL] (formerly Christian Social
Cidadania [Roberto João Pereira FREIRE] (formerly Popular Socialist Party or PPS)
Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Luciana SANTOS]
Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Ciro FERREIRA Gomes]
Democratic Party or PSDC
Democrats or DEM [Jose AGRIPINO] (formerly Liberal Front Party or PFL); note - dissolved in February 2022
Green Party or PV [José Luiz PENNA]
Liberal Party or PL [Valdemar Costa Neto] (formerly Party of the Republic or PR)
National Mobilization Party or PMN [Antonio Carlos Bosco MASSAROLLO]
New Party or NOVO [Eduardo RIBEIRO]
Patriota [Ovasco RESENDE] (formerly National Ecologic Party or PEN)
Podemos [Renata ABREU] (formerly National Labor Party or PTN)
Progressive Party (Progressistas) or PP [Ciro NOGUEIRA Lima Filho]
Republican Social Order Party or PROS [Euripedes JUNIOR]
Republicans (Republicanos) [Marcos Antônio PEREIRA] (formerly Brazilian Republican Party or PRB)
Social Christian Party or PSC [Everaldo Dias PEREIRA]
Social Democratic Party or PSD [Alfredo COATIT Neto]
Social Liberal Party or PSL [Luciano Caldas BIVAR]
Socialism and Freedom Party or PSOL [Juliano MEDEIROS]
Solidarity or SD [Paulinho DA FORÇA]
Sustainability Network or REDE [Marina SILVA]
United Socialist Workers' Party or PSTU [José Maria DE ALMEIDA]
Workers' Cause Party or PCO [Rui Costa PIMENTA]
Workers' Party or PT [Gleisi Helena HOFFMANN]
Brazil-Bolivia: The Roboré Accord of March 29, 1958 placed the long-disputed Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Río Mamoré, between the two towns of Guajará-Mirim (Brazil) and Guayaramerin (Bolivia), under Bolivian administration but did not resolve the sovereignty dispute
Brazil-Colombia: Contraband smuggling (narcotics and arms), illegal migration, trafficking in animals, plants, lumber, illegal exploitation of mineral resources, Colombian (FARC) insurgent incursions in the area remain problematic issues.
Brazil-Uruguay: The uncontested boundary dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over over Arroyo de la Invernada triangle and sovereignty over Isla Brasilera leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question. Smuggling of firearms and narcotics continues to be an issue along the Uruguay-Brazil border.
Brazil-Venezuela: Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Brazil's border region with Venezuela.
a significant drug transit and destination country for cocaine bound for Europe and other destinations including the United States; domestic drug use and addiction is a significant problem and it is second only to the United States in cocaine consumption; a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics
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