Editing Brazil (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Brazil|Brazilians}}
{{See also|Immigration to Brazil|List of Brazilian states by population density}}
[[File:Population density Brazil 2020.svg|thumb|Population density of Brazilian municipalities]]
According to the latest official projection, Brazil's estimated population was 210,862,983 on July 1, 2022—an adjustment of 3.9% from the initial figure of 203 million reported by the 2022 census.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-23 |title=Brazilian population likely to start shrinking in 2042 |url=https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/geral/noticia/2024-08/brazilian-population-likely-start-shrinking-2042 |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=Agência Brasil |language=en}}</ref> The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, was approximately 190 million<ref>2008 PNAD, IBGE. [http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=261&i=P&nome=on&notarodape=on&tab=261&unit=0&pov=1&opc1=1&poc2=1&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&poc1=1&sec58=0&orp=6&qtu3=27&opv=1&sec1=0&opc2=1&pop=1&opn2=2&orv=2&orc2=4&opc58=1&qtu2=5&sev=93&sec2=0&opp=1&opn3=0&orc1=3&poc58=1&qtu1=1&cabec=on&orc58=5&opn7=0&decm=99&ascendente=on&sep=43343&orn=1&qtu7=9&pon=2&OpcCara=44&proc=1 "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade"]</ref> ({{convert|22.31|PD/km2|disp=or|abbr=out|sp=us}}), with a ratio of men to women of 0.95:1<ref>2008 PNAD, IBGE. [http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=261&i=P&nome=on&notarodape=on&tab=261&unit=0&pov=1&opc1=1&poc2=3&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&poc1=1&sec58=0&orp=6&qtu3=27&opv=1&sec1=0&opc2=1&pop=1&opn2=2&orv=2&orc2=4&opc58=1&qtu2=5&sev=93&sec2=0&sec2=92956&sec2=92957&opp=1&opn3=0&orc1=3&poc58=1&qtu1=1&cabec=on&orc58=5&opn7=0&decm=99&ascendente=on&sep=43343&orn=1&qtu7=9&pon=2&OpcCara=44&proc=1 "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade"]</ref> and 83.75% of the population defined as urban.<ref>2008 PNAD, IBGE. [http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=261&i=P&nome=on&notarodape=on&tab=261&unit=0&pov=3&opc1=1&poc2=1&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&poc1=2&sec58=0&orp=6&qtu3=27&opv=1&sec1=0&sec1=1&sec1=2&opc2=1&pop=1&opn2=2&orv=2&orc2=4&opc58=1&qtu2=5&sev=93&sev=1000093&sec2=0&opp=1&opn3=0&orc1=3&poc58=1&qtu1=1&cabec=on&orc58=5&opn7=0&decm=99&ascendente=on&sep=43343&orn=1&qtu7=9&pon=2&OpcCara=44&proc=1 "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade"].</ref> The population is heavily concentrated in the Southeast (79.8&nbsp;million inhabitants) and Northeast (53.5&nbsp;million inhabitants), while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North, which together make up 64.12% of Brazilian territory, have a total of only 29.1&nbsp;million inhabitants.

The first census in Brazil was carried out in 1872 and recorded a population of 9,930,478.<ref>[http://www.brasil.gov.br/news/history/2011/04-1/29/brazil-population-reaches-190.8-million/newsitem_view?set_language=en "Brazil population reaches 190.8 million"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809205237/http://www.brasil.gov.br/news/history/2011/04-1/29/brazil-population-reaches-190.8-million/newsitem_view?set_language=en |date=9 August 2013 }}. Brasil.gov.br.</ref> From 1880 to 1930, four million Europeans arrived.<ref>[http://www.migrationinformation.org/profiles/display.cfm?id=311 "Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration"]. Migration Policy Institute.</ref> Brazil's population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, because of a decline in the [[mortality rate]], even though the [[birth rate]] underwent a slight decline. In the 1940s the annual [[population growth]] rate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in the 1950s and remaining at 2.9% in the 1960s, as life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 years<ref>José Alberto Magno de Carvalho, [http://cedeplar.face.ufmg.br/pesquisas/td/TD%20227.pdf "Crescimento populacional e estrutura demográfica no Brasil"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019004601/http://cedeplar.face.ufmg.br/pesquisas/td/TD%20227.pdf |date=19 October 2016 }} Belo Horizonte: UFMG/Cedeplar, 2004 (PDF file), p.&nbsp;5.</ref> and to 72.6 years in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 November 1999 |title=Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_visualiza.php?id_noticia=1275&id_pagina=1 |access-date=25 January 2010 |publisher=IBGE}}</ref> It has been steadily falling since the 1960s, from 3.04% per year between 1950 and 1960 to 1.05% in 2008 and is expected to fall to a negative value of&nbsp;–0.29% by 2050<ref>{{Cite web |title=Projeção da População do Brasil – Brazil's populational projection |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_impressao.php?id_noticia=1272 |access-date=25 January 2010 |publisher=IBGE}}</ref> thus completing the [[demographic transition]].<ref>Magno de Carvalho, [http://www.observasaude.sp.gov.br/BibliotecaPortal/Acervo/Estrutura_Demogr%C3%A1fica_Brasil.pdf "Crescimento populacional e estrutura demográfica no Brasil"]{{dead link|date=May 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, pp.&nbsp;7–8.</ref>

In 2022, the illiteracy rate was roughly 7%,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2024-05-17 |title=2022 Census: Illiteracy rate falls from 9.6% to 7.0% in 12 years, though inequalities persist {{!}} News Agency |url=https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/en/agencia-news/2184-news-agency/news/40118-2022-census-illiteracy-rate-falls-from-9-6-to-7-0-in-12-years-though-inequalities-persist |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=Agência de Notícias - IBGE |language=en-GB}}</ref> a significant decline from 11.48% in 2008.<ref>PNAD 2008, IBGE. [http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=271&i=P&sec59=93024&sec59=1023&sec59=1024&nome=on&notarodape=on&tab=271&unit=0&pov=3&opc1=1&poc2=1&orc59=5&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&poc1=1&sec58=0&orp=7&qtu3=27&opv=1&sec1=0&opc2=1&pop=1&opn2=0&orv=2&orc2=4&opc58=1&qtu2=5&sev=121&sev=1000121&sec2=0&poc59=2&opp=1&opn3=0&orc1=3&poc58=1&qtu1=1&cabec=on&opc59=1&ascendente=on&sep=43345&orn=1&qtu7=9&orc58=6&opn7=0&decm=99&pon=1&OpcCara=44&proc=1 "Pessoas de 5 anos ou mais de idade por situação, sexo, alfabetização e grupos de idade e grupos de idade"].</ref> By comparison, in 1940, more than half the population (54%) was illiterate.<ref name=":1" /> 

=== Race and ethnicity ===
{{Main|Race and ethnicity in Brazil}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = [[Race and ethnicity in Brazil]] 2022
|other =
|label1 =[[Pardo Brazilians|Pardo (Multiracial)]]
|value1 =45.3
|color1 =#9966CC
|label2 =[[White Brazilians|White]]
|value2 =43.5
|color2 =LightBlue
|label3 =[[Afro-Brazilians|Black]]
|value3 =10.2
|color3 =MediumAquamarine
|label4 =[[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Indigenous]]
|value4 =0.6
|color4 =Red
|label5 =[[Asian Brazilians|East Asian]]
|value5 =0.4
|color5 =#FFE135
}}

According to the [[2022 Brazilian census]], 45.3% of the population (92.1 million) described themselves as [[Pardo Brazilians|Pardo]] (meaning [[Brown (racial classification)|brown]] or multiracial), 43.5% (88.2 million) as [[White Brazilians|White]], 10.2% (20.7 million) as [[Afro-Brazilians|Black]], 0.6% (1.2 million) as [[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Indigenous]] and 0.4% (850,000) as [[Asian Brazilians|East Asian]] (officially called ''[[Mongoloid|yellow]]'' or ''amarela'').<ref name="PNADIBGE">2008 PNAD, IBGE. [https://g1.globo.com/economia/censo/noticia/2023/12/22/censo-2022-cor-ou-raca.ghtml].</ref>

Since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, considerable genetic mixing between Amerindians, Europeans, and Africans has taken place in all regions of the country:

* European ancestry being dominant according to all autosomal studies undertaken covering the population, accounting for between 60% and 65% of the average genetic makeup of the Brazilian population.<ref name="alvaro.com.br2">{{Cite journal |last1=De Assis Poiares |first1=Lilian |last2=De Sá Osorio |first2=Paulo |last3=Spanhol |first3=Fábio Alexandre |last4=Coltre |first4=Sidnei César |last5=Rodenbusch |first5=Rodrigo |last6=Gusmão |first6=Leonor |last7=Largura |first7=Alvaro |last8=Sandrini |first8=Fabiano |last9=Da Silva |first9=Cláudia Maria Dornelles |year=2010 |title=Allele frequencies of 15 STRs in a representative sample of the Brazilian population |url=http://www.alvaro.com.br/pdf/trabalhoCientifico/ARTIGO_BRASIL_LILIAN.pdf |journal=Forensic Science International: Genetics |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=e61–63 |doi=10.1016/j.fsigen.2009.05.006 |pmid=20129458 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5xmleMZgv?url=http://www.alvaro.com.br/pdf/trabalhoCientifico/ARTIGO_BRASIL_LILIAN.pdf |archive-date=8 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="www1.folha.uol.com.br2">[http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/ciencia/ult306u633465.shtml Brazilian DNA is nearly 80% European, indicates study].</ref><ref name="bdtd.bce.unb.br2">NMO Godinho [http://bdtd.bce.unb.br/tedesimplificado/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=3873 O impacto das migrações na constituição genética de populações latino-americanas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706162240/http://bdtd.bce.unb.br/tedesimplificado/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=3873|date=6 July 2011}}. PhD Thesis, Universidade de Brasília (2008).</ref><ref name="plosone.org2">{{Cite journal |last1=Pena |first1=Sérgio D. J. |last2=Di Pietro |first2=Giuliano |last3=Fuchshuber-Moraes |first3=Mateus |last4=Genro |first4=Julia Pasqualini |last5=Hutz |first5=Mara H. |last6=Kehdy Fde |first6=Fernanda de Souza Gomes |last7=Kohlrausch |first7=Fabiana |last8=Magno |first8=Luiz Alexandre Viana |last9=Montenegro |first9=Raquel Carvalho |last10=Moraes |first10=MO |last11=De Moraes |first11=ME |last12=De Moraes |first12=MR |last13=Ojopi |first13=EB |last14=Perini |first14=JA |last15=Racciopi |first15=C |display-authors=9 |year=2011 |editor-last=Harpending |editor-first=Henry |title=The Genomic Ancestry of Individuals from Different Geographical Regions of Brazil Is More Uniform Than Expected |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=2 |page=e17063 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...617063P |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0017063 |pmc=3040205 |pmid=21359226 |doi-access=free |last16=Ribeiro-Dos-Santos |first16=AK |last17=Rios-Santos |first17=F |last18=Romano-Silva |first18=MA |last19=Sortica |first19=VA |last20=Suarez-Kurtz |first20=G}}</ref>
* African ancestry among the Brazilians is estimated at 20% to 25% of the average genetic makeup<ref name="bdtd.bce.unb.br2" /><ref name="wiley12">{{Cite journal |last1=Lins |first1=T. C. |last2=Vieira |first2=R. G. |last3=Abreu |first3=B. S. |last4=Grattapaglia |first4=D. |last5=Pereira |first5=R. W. |date=March–April 2009 |title=Genetic composition of Brazilian population samples based on a set of twenty-eight ancestry informative SNPs |url=https://repositorio.ucb.br:9443/jspui/handle/123456789/7489 |journal=[[American Journal of Human Biology]] |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=187–192 |doi=10.1002/ajhb.20976 |pmid=19639555 |s2cid=205301927 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="scielo.br2">{{cite journal |last1=Pena |first1=Sérgio D. J. |last2=Bortolini |first2=Maria Cátira |date=April 1, 2004 |title=Pode a genética definir quem deve se beneficiar das cotas universitárias e demais ações afirmativas? |journal=Estudos Avançados |volume=18 |issue=50 |pages=31–50 |doi=10.1590/S0103-40142004000100004 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=10183/19857}}</ref>
* Indigenous ancestry is significant and present in all regions of Brazil, accounting for around 15% to 20% of the average genetic ancestry of Brazilians.<ref name="wiley12"/><ref name="alvaro.com.br3">{{cite web |title=Allele frequencies of 15 STRs in a representative sample of the Brazilian population |url=http://www.alvaro.com.br/pdf/trabalhoCientifico/ARTIGO_BRASIL_LILIAN.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5xmleMZgv?url=http://www.alvaro.com.br/pdf/trabalhoCientifico/ARTIGO_BRASIL_LILIAN.pdf |archive-date=April 8, 2011 |access-date=2011-04-08 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="bdtd.bce.unb.br3">{{cite web |author=Godinho, Neide Maria de Oliveira |year=2008 |title=O impacto das migrações na constituição genética de populações latino-americanas |url=http://repositorio.unb.br/bitstream/10482/5542/1/2008_NeideMOGodinho.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706162240/http://bdtd.bce.unb.br/tedesimplificado/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=3873 |archive-date=2011-07-06 |publisher=Universidade de Brasília}}</ref><ref name="plosone.org3">{{cite journal |last1=Pena |first1=Sérgio D. J. |last2=Pietro |first2=Giuliano Di |last3=Fuchshuber-Moraes |first3=Mateus |last4=Genro |first4=Julia Pasqualini |last5=Hutz |first5=Mara H. |last6=Kehdy |first6=Fernanda de Souza Gomes |last7=Kohlrausch |first7=Fabiana |last8=Magno |first8=Luiz Alexandre Viana |last9=Montenegro |first9=Raquel Carvalho |last10=Moraes |first10=Manoel Odorico |last11=Moraes |first11=Maria Elisabete Amaral de |last12=Moraes |first12=Milene Raiol de |last13=Ojopi |first13=Élida B. |last14=Perini |first14=Jamila A. |last15=Racciopi |first15=Clarice |date=February 16, 2011 |title=The Genomic Ancestry of Individuals from Different Geographical Regions of Brazil Is More Uniform Than Expected |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=e17063 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...617063P |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0017063 |pmc=3040205 |pmid=21359226 |doi-access=free |first16=Ândrea Kely Campos |last16=Ribeiro-dos-Santos |first17=Fabrício |last17=Rios-Santos |first18=Marco A. |last18=Romano-Silva |first19=Vinicius A. |last19=Sortica |first20=Guilherme |last20=Suarez-Kurtz}}</ref><ref name="hereditas.com.br2">{{cite web |title=SIDIA M. CALLEGARI-JACQUES et al., Historical Genetics: Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Formation |url=http://www.hereditas.com.br/pdfs/AJHB-Callegari-Jacquesetal2003.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706152708/http://www.hereditas.com.br/pdfs/AJHB-Callegari-Jacquesetal2003.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |access-date=August 21, 2017 |website=Hereditas.com.br |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="pmid145958742">{{Cite journal |last1=Callegari-Jacques |first1=S. M. |last2=Grattapaglia |first2=D. |last3=Salzano |first3=F. M. |last4=Salamoni |first4=S. P. |last5=Crossetti |first5=S. G. |last6=Ferreira |first6=M. R. E. |last7=Hutz |first7=M. H. |date=November–December 2003 |title=Historical genetics: Spatiotemporal analysis of the formation of the Brazilian population |url=http://www.hereditas.com.br/pdfs/AJHB-Callegari-Jacquesetal2003.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=[[American Journal of Human Biology]] |volume=15 |issue=6 |pages=824–834 |doi=10.1002/ajhb.10217 |pmid=14595874 |s2cid=34610130 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706152708/http://www.hereditas.com.br/pdfs/AJHB-Callegari-Jacquesetal2003.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Retrato molecular do Brasil |url=http://publicacoes.gene.com.br/Imprensa_genealogia/Retrato%20molecular%20do%20Brasil@Folha%20de%20S%C3%A3o%20Paulo@26-03-2000.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306064232/http://publicacoes.gene.com.br/Imprensa_genealogia/Retrato%20molecular%20do%20Brasil@Folha%20de%20S%C3%A3o%20Paulo@26-03-2000.htm |archive-date=March 6, 2008 |access-date=August 21, 2017 |website=Publicacoes.gene.com.br |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

From the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders to [[Immigration to Brazil|immigration]]. About five million people from over 60 countries migrated to Brazil between 1808 and 1972, most of them of [[Portuguese Brazilian|Portuguese]], [[Italian Brazilian|Italian]], [[Brazilians of Spanish descent|Spanish]], [[German Brazilian|German]], [[English Brazilian|English]], [[Ukrainian Brazilian|Ukrainian]], [[Polish Brazilian|Polish]], [[Jewish Brazilian|Jewish]], [[Afro-Brazilian|African]], [[Armenians|Armenian]], [[Russians in Brazil|Russian]], [[Chinese Brazilian|Chinese]], [[Japanese Brazilian|Japanese]], [[Korean Brazilian|Korean]] and [[Arab Brazilian|Arab]] origin.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maria Stella Ferreira-Levy |year=1974 |title=O papel da migração internacional na evolução da população brasileira (1872 a 1972) |journal=Revista de Saúde Pública |volume=8 |issue=supl |pages=49–90 |doi=10.1590/S0034-89101974000500003 |doi-access=free}}, Table 2, p.&nbsp;74. {{in lang|pt}}</ref><ref>Zirin, 2014. Chapter 2, Section ''"The Beginning of the 'Mosaic' ''".</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Grün |first=Roberto |date=July 1996 |title=The Armenian Renaissance in Brazil |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/americas/article/the-armenian-renaissance-in-brazil/759304E77521DF48F0C1F1DD95C0D3E2 |journal=The Americas |language=en |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=113–151 |doi=10.2307/1007476 |issn=0003-1615 |jstor=1007476 |s2cid=143656550}}</ref> Brazil has the second-largest Jewish community in both Latin and South America after Argentina making up 0.06% of its population.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{Cite web |title=The Jewish Community in Brazil |url=https://www.bh.org.il/jewish-community-brazil/ |website=Beit Hatfutsot}}</ref> Outside of the [[Arab world]], Brazil also has the largest [[Arab diaspora|population]] of Arab ancestry in the world, with 15–20 million people.<ref name="Ferabolli2014">{{Cite book |last=Silvia Ferabolli |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R5CbBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA151 |title=Arab Regionalism: A Post-Structural Perspective |date=25 September 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-65803-0 |page=151 |quote=According to estimates by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), countersigned by the League of Arab States, Brazil has the largest Arab colony outside their countries of origin. There are estimated 15 million Arabs living in Brazil today, with some researchers suggesting numbers around 20 million.}}</ref><ref name="Amar2014">{{Cite book |last=Paul Amar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGKuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 |title=The Middle East and Brazil: Perspectives on the New Global South |date=15 July 2014 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-01496-2 |page=40 |quote=there are, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than sixteen million Arabs and descendants of Arabs in Brazil, constituting the largest community of Arabs descent outside the Middle East.}}</ref> According to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil is home to a Lebanese diaspora of 7 million to 10 million, surpassing the population of Lebanese individuals residing in Lebanon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=cl1289 |date=8 June 2021 |title=From Beirut to Brazil |url=https://ccas.georgetown.edu/2021/06/08/from-beirut-to-brazil/ |access-date=7 November 2023 |website=CCAS |language=en-US}}</ref>

Brazilian society is more [[Social issues in Brazil|markedly divided by social class lines]], although a high [[Income inequality in Brazil|income disparity]] is found [[Social apartheid in Brazil|between race groups]], so [[racism]] and [[Class discrimination|classism]] often overlap. The brown population (officially called [[Pardo Brazilians|''pardo'']] in Portuguese, also colloquially ''[[wikt:moreno|moreno]]'')<ref name="Coelho 1996, p. 268">Coelho (1996), p.&nbsp;268.</ref><ref name="Vesentini 1988, p. 117">Vesentini (1988), p.&nbsp;117.</ref> is a broad category that includes ''[[caboclo]]s'' (assimilated Amerindians in general, and descendants of Whites and Natives), ''[[Mulatto|mulatos]]'' (descendants of primarily Whites and Afro-Brazilians) and ''[[Zambo|cafuzos]]'' (descendants of Afro-Brazilians and Natives).<ref name="Coelho 1996, p. 268" /><ref name="Vesentini 1988, p. 117" /><ref>Adas, Melhem ''Panorama geográfico do Brasil'', 4th ed (São Paulo: Moderna, 2004), p.&nbsp;268 {{ISBN|85-16-04336-3}}</ref><ref>Azevedo (1971), pp.&nbsp;2–3.</ref><ref name="Moreira 1981, p. 108">Moreira (1981), p.&nbsp;108.</ref> Higher percents of Blacks, mulattoes and tri-racials can be found in the eastern coast of the Northeastern region from Bahia to Paraíba<ref name="Moreira 1981, p. 108" /><ref>Azevedo (1971), pp.&nbsp;74–75.</ref> and also in northern Maranhão,<ref>''Enciclopédia Barsa'', vol. 10 (Rio de Janeiro: Encyclopædia Britannica do Brasil, 1987), p.&nbsp;355.</ref><ref>Azevedo (1971), p.&nbsp;74.</ref> southern Minas Gerais<ref name="Azevedo 1971, p. 161">Azevedo (1971), p.&nbsp;161.</ref> and eastern Rio de Janeiro.<ref name="Moreira 1981, p. 108" /><ref name="Azevedo 1971, p. 161" />

People of considerable Amerindian ancestry form the majority of the population in the Northern, Northeastern and Center-Western regions.<ref>''Enciclopédia Barsa'', vol. 4, pp.&nbsp;254–55, 258, 265.</ref> In 2007, the [[Fundação Nacional do Índio|National Indian Foundation]] estimated that Brazil has 67 different uncontacted tribes, up from their estimate of 40 in 2005. Brazil is believed to have the largest number of [[uncontacted peoples]] in the world.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/07/AR2007070701312.html "In Amazonia, Defending the Hidden Tribes"], ''The Washington Post'' (8 July 2007).</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Brazil}}
{{Further|Catholic Church in Brazil|Protestantism in Brazil}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = [[Religion in Brazil]] (2010 Census)
|label1 = [[Catholic Church in Brazil|Catholicism]]
|value1 = 64.6
|color1 = Purple
|label2 = [[Protestantism in Brazil|Protestantism]]
|value2 = 22.2
|color2 = Blue
|label3 = [[Kardecist spiritism|Spiritism]]
|value3 = 2.0
|color3 = Pink
|label4 = Other
|value4 = 3.2
|color4 = Chartreuse
|label5 = [[Irreligion|No religion]]
|value5 = 8.0
|color5 = WhiteSmoke
}}
[[Christianity]] is the country's predominant faith, with [[Roman Catholicism]] being its largest denomination. Brazil has the [[Catholic Church by country|world's largest Catholic population]].<ref name="PEWCATHOLIC">{{Cite web |date=13 February 2013 |title=The Global Catholic Population |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ |access-date=10 June 2020 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]}}</ref><ref name="USDS">{{Cite conference |date=8 November 2005 |title=Brazil |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2005/51629.htm |publisher=U.S. Department of State |access-date=8 June 2008 |book-title=International Religious Freedom Report}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Worldwide Catholic population hits 1.4 billion |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262883/worldwide-catholic-population-hits-14-billion |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref> According to the 2010 demographic census (the PNAD survey does not inquire about religion), 64.63% of the population followed Roman Catholicism; 22.2% [[Protestantism in Brazil|Protestantism]]; 2.0% Kardecist spiritism; 3.2% other religions, undeclared or undetermined; while 8.0% had no religion.<ref name="census2010">[ftp://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Censos/Censo_Demografico_2010/Caracteristicas_Gerais_Religiao_Deficiencia/tab1_4.pdf IBGE – Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics). 2010 Census]. Retrieved 7 August 2012.</ref> In 2019, it was estimated that 50% were Roman Catholic; 31% Protestant; 11% irreligious; 3% Spiritist; 2% practitioners of Afro-Brazilian faiths; and 0.3% Jewish.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-13 |title=50% dos brasileiros são católicos, 31%, evangélicos e 10% não têm religião, diz Datafolha {{!}} Política |url=https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2020/01/13/50percent-dos-brasileiros-sao-catolicos-31percent-evangelicos-e-10percent-nao-tem-religiao-diz-datafolha.ghtml |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=G1 |language=pt-br}}</ref>

Religious diversity in Brazil developed from the meeting of the Roman Catholic Church with the religious traditions of enslaved African peoples and indigenous peoples.<ref name="BoyleSheen2013">{{Cite book |last1=Kevin Boyle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JxgFWwK8dXwC&pg=PT211 |title=Freedom of Religion and Belief: A World Report |last2=Juliet Sheen |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-134-72229-7 |page=211}}</ref> This confluence of faiths during the Portuguese colonization of Brazil led to the development of a diverse array of syncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella of Brazilian Catholic Church, characterized by traditional Portuguese festivities.<ref name="georgetown1">{{Cite web |title=Brazil |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825203019/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil |archive-date=25 August 2011 |access-date=7 December 2011 |publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]]}}</ref>

Religious pluralism increased during the 20th century,<ref name="Morris2006a">{{Cite book |last=Brian Morris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PguGB_uEQh4C&pg=PA223 |title=Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-521-85241-8 |page=223}}</ref> and the Protestant community had grown to include over 22% of the population by 2010—partly due to a mixture of American missionary and government influence.<ref name="JeynesRobinson2012">{{Cite book |last1=William Jeynes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NIBlry_2oLQC&pg=PA405 |title=International Handbook of Protestant Education |last2=David W. Robinson |publisher=Springer |year=2012 |isbn=978-94-007-2386-3 |page=405}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tautz |first=Carlos |date=2025-04-07 |title=Como os EUA usaram a religião para combater o comunismo no Brasil |url=https://www.intercept.com.br/2025/04/07/como-os-eua-usaram-a-religiao-para-combater-o-comunismo-no-brasil/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Intercept Brasil |language=pt-BR}}</ref> The most common Protestant denominations are [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] ones. Other Protestant branches with a notable presence in the country include the [[Baptists]], [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]], [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] and the [[Calvinism|Reformed tradition]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2010 census results |url=ftp://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Censos/Censo_Demografico_2010/Caracteristicas_Gerais_Religiao_Deficiencia/tab1_4.pdf}}</ref> In recent decades, Protestantism, particularly in forms of Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism, has spread in Brazil, while the proportion of Catholics had dropped significantly during the 2010s.<ref name="georgetown2">{{Cite web |title=Brazil |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825203019/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil |archive-date=25 August 2011 |access-date=7 December 2011 |publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]]}} See drop-down essay on "The Growth of Religious Pluralism"</ref> As they have spread throughout Brazil, many have even been deeply involved in Brazilian and international politics,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-08 |title=Conservative evangelicals use social media to sway Brazil election |url=https://restofworld.org/2024/brazil-election-evangelical-youtubers/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Rest of World |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Iacomini |first=Franco |date=2024-03-05 |title=Brazilian Evangelicals Bring Their Political Playbook to Portugal |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/03/brazilian-evangelicals-politics-po/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Christianity Today |language=en-US}}</ref> and Evangelical Protestant influence has been implicated in the [[2022 Brazilian coup plot]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 18, 2023 |title=The shared religious roots of twin insurrections in the US and Brazil |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2023/01/18/brazil-insurrection-evangelical-christianity/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Since 2022, Evangelicals and Catholics have considered begun reconsidering religion as a political factor.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Religião como fator político está diminuindo", diz especialista à CNN |url=https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/religiao-como-fator-politico-esta-diminuindo-diz-especialista-a-cnn/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=CNN Brasil |language=pt-BR}}</ref>

After Protestantism, individuals professing no religion are also a significant group, having exceeded 8% of the population according to the 2010 census. The cities of [[Boa Vista, Roraima|Boa Vista]], [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], and [[Porto Velho]] have the greatest proportion of [[Irreligion|Irreligious]] residents in Brazil. [[Teresina]], [[Fortaleza]], and [[Florianópolis]] were the most Roman Catholic in the country.<ref name="FGV no G1">{{Cite web |last=Do G1, em São Paulo |date=23 August 2011 |title=G1 – País tem menor nível de adeptos do catolicismo desde 1872, diz estudo |url=http://g1.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2011/08/pais-tem-menor-nivel-de-adeptos-do-catolicismo-desde-1872-diz-estudo.html |access-date=7 April 2012 |publisher=G1.globo.com}}</ref> [[Greater Rio de Janeiro]], not including the [[Rio de Janeiro|city proper]], is the most irreligious and least Roman Catholic Brazilian periphery, while [[Greater Porto Alegre]] and Greater [[Fortaleza]] are on the opposite sides of the lists, respectively.<ref name="FGV no G1" />

In October 2009, the Brazilian Senate approved and enacted by the President of Brazil in February 2010, an agreement with the [[Holy See|Vatican]], in which the Legal Statute of the Catholic Church in Brazil is recognized.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2009 |title=Senado aprova acordo com o Vaticano |url=https://oglobo.globo.com/economia/senado-aprova-acordo-com-vaticano-3161783 |access-date=28 June 2020 |publisher=[[O Globo]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Decreto nº 7.107, de 11 de fevereiro de 2010. |url=http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2007-2010/2010/Decreto/D7107.htm |access-date=28 June 2020 |publisher=Casa Civil da Presidência da República}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Brazil|Sistema Único de Saúde}}
[[File:Hospital de Clínicas PMPA.jpg|thumb|The [[Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre|Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre]] is academically linked to the [[Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul]] and is part of the [[Sistema Único de Saúde|SUS]], the Brazilian [[publicly funded health care]] system.]]

The Brazilian [[public health]] system, the [[Sistema Único de Saúde|Unified Health System]] (''Sistema Único de Saúde'' – SUS), is managed and provided by all levels of government,<ref name="ForgiaCouttolenc2008">{{Cite book |last1=Gerard Martin La Forgia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i3R43xW5KqcC&pg=PA17 |title=Hospital Performance in Brazil: The Search for Excellence |last2=Bernard F. Couttolenc |publisher=World Bank Publications |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8213-7359-0 |page=17}}</ref> being the largest system of this type in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=20 Anos do SUS |url=http://conselho.saude.gov.br/web_sus20anos/index.html |access-date=13 April 2012 |publisher=Conselho Nacional de Saúde}}</ref> On the other hand, private healthcare systems play a complementary role.<ref name="Wolper2004">{{Cite book |last=Lawrence F. Wolper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zts-QdpDiWUC&pg=PA33 |title=Health Care Administration: Planning, Implementing, and Managing Organized Delivery Systems |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7637-3144-1 |page=33}}</ref> Public health services are universal and offered to all citizens of the country for free. However, the construction and maintenance of health centers and hospitals are financed by taxes, and the country spends about 9% of its GDP on expenditures in the area. In 2012, Brazil had 1.85 doctors and 2.3 hospital beds for every 1,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Physicians (per 1,000 people) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS?locations=BR |website=World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.BEDS.ZS |website=World Health Organization The World Bank}}</ref>

Despite all the progress made since the creation of the [[universal health care]] system in 1988, there are still several public health problems in Brazil. In 2006, the main points to be solved were the high [[List of countries by infant mortality rate|infant]] (2.51%) and maternal mortality rates (73.1 deaths per 1000 births).<ref name="Radar social" />

The number of deaths from noncommunicable diseases, such as [[cardiovascular diseases]] (151.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) and [[cancer]] (72.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), also has a considerable impact on the health of the Brazilian population. Finally, external but preventable factors such as car accidents, violence and suicide caused 14.9% of all deaths in the country.<ref name="Radar social">{{Cite web |title=Saúde |url=http://www.planejamento.gov.br/secretarias/upload/Arquivos/spi/programas_projeto/radar_social/2006_PRP_Radar_radarSocial.pdf  |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081216074831/http://www.planejamento.gov.br/secretarias/upload/Arquivos/spi/programas_projeto/radar_social/2006_PRP_Radar_radarSocial.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2008 |access-date=10 June 2008 |website=Radar social |publisher=Ministério do Planejamento}}</ref> The Brazilian health system was ranked 125th among the 191 countries evaluated by the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2000 |title=Measuring overall health system performance for 191 countries |url=https://www.who.int/entity/healthinfo/paper30.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061118210828/http://www.who.int/entity/healthinfo/paper30.pdf |archive-date=18 November 2006 |access-date=30 April 2014 |publisher=[[World Health Organization]]}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Brazil}}
[[File:Arquitetura Prédio Histórico da Universidade Federal do Paraná.jpg|thumb|Historical building of the [[Federal University of Paraná]], one of the oldest universities in Brazil, located in [[Curitiba]]]]

The [[Constitution|Federal Constitution]] and the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education determine that the [[Federal government of Brazil|Union]], the [[States of Brazil|states]], the [[Federal District (Brazil)|Federal District]] and the [[Municipalities of Brazil|municipalities]] must manage and organize their respective education systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as the mechanisms and funding sources. The constitution reserves 25% of the state budget and 18% of federal taxes and municipal taxes for education.<ref name="Usa2005">{{Cite book |last=Usa Ibp Usa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzhWjfK8CswC&pg=PA42 |title=Brazil: Tax Guide |publisher=Int'l Business Publications |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7397-3279-3 |page=42}}</ref>

According to the [[Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics|IBGE]], in 2019, the literacy rate of the population was 93.4%, meaning that 11.3 million (6.6% of population) people are still illiterate in the country, with some states such as [[Rio de Janeiro (state)|Rio de Janeiro]] and [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]] reaching around 97% of literacy rate;<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=IBGE: Analfabetismo cai no país, mas fica estagnado no Nordeste |url=https://valor.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2020/07/15/ibge-analfabetismo-cai-no-pas-mas-fica-estagnado-no-nordeste.ghtml |website=Globo.com |date=15 July 2020 |language=pt}}</ref> functional illiteracy has reached 21.6% of the population.<ref name="Agency2010">{{Cite book |last=The Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m-9eSrZtYAAC&pg=PA143 |title=The World Factbook 2010 |publisher=Potomac Books, Inc. |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59797-541-4 |edition=CIA 2009 |page=143}}</ref> Illiteracy is higher in the [[Northeast Region, Brazil|Northeast]], where 13.87% of the population is illiterate, while the [[South Region, Brazil|South]], has 3.3% of its population illiterate.<ref name="Bank2001">{{Cite book |last=World Bank |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YttV-Ggq90UC&pg=PA40 |title=Rural Poverty Alleviation in Brazil: Towards an Integrated Strategy |publisher=World Bank Publications |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-8213-5206-9 |page=40}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Brazil's private institutions tend to be more exclusive and offer better quality education, so many high-income families send their children there. The result is a segregated educational system that reflects extreme income disparities and reinforces social inequality. However, efforts to change this are making impacts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laplane |first=Mario |title=Efforts towards inclusion |url=https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/impact-public-and-private-education-social-inequality-brazil |website=D + C, Development and cooperation|date=14 May 2019 }}</ref> The [[University of São Paulo]] is often considered [[College and university rankings|the best in Brazil and Latin America]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=QS World University Rankings 2024 |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Top Universities |language=en |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104115634/https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities |url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2023 |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=www.shanghairanking.com |archive-date=29 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929224804/https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> Of the top 20 Latin American universities, eight are Brazilian; most are [[Public university|public]]. Attending an institution of higher education is required by Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education. [[Kindergarten]], [[elementary school|elementary]] and medium education are required of all students.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QS University Rankings Latin America |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2019 |access-date=11 November 2018 |publisher=[[QS World University Rankings]]}}</ref>

=== Language ===
{{Main|Languages of Brazil|Portuguese language|Brazilian Portuguese|List of endangered languages in Brazil}}
<!--Galleries or clusters of images are generaly discouraged as they cause undue weight to one particular section of a summary article and may cause accessibility problems.-->
{{multiple image
 | direction = vertical
 | align = right
 | width = 220px
 | image1 = Interior do Museu da Língua Portuguesa em São Paulo, Brasil.jpg
 | caption1 = [[Museum of the Portuguese Language]] in [[São Paulo]]
 | image2 = AssuncaodoIcana.jpg
 | caption2 = [[Alto Rio Negro Indigenous Territory]], in [[São Gabriel da Cachoeira]], [[Amazonas (Brazilian state)|Amazonas]],
where [[Nhengatu]], [[Tucano language|Tucano]] and [[Karu language|Baniwa]] are co-official languages
 |image3 = Ruas de Pomerode (cropped).jpg
 | caption3 = [[Pomerode]], [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]], where the [[East Pomeranian dialect|East Pomeranian]] is the [[second language]] (see [[Brazilian German]])
}}

The official language of Brazil is [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] (Article 13 of the [[Constitution of Brazil|Constitution of the Federal Republic of Brazil]]), which almost all of the population speaks and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.<ref name="language2">{{Cite web |title=Brazil – Language |url=http://countrystudies.us/brazil/39.htm |website=countrystudies.us}}</ref>

[[Brazilian Portuguese]] has had its own development, mostly similar to 16th-century Central and Southern dialects of European Portuguese<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 April 2009 |title=Learn About Portuguese Language |url=http://www.sibila.com.br/index.php/world-map-of-portuguese/424 |access-date=7 April 2012 |publisher=Sibila.com.br |archive-date=20 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420010533/http://www.sibila.com.br/index.php/world-map-of-portuguese/424  }}</ref> (despite a very substantial number of Portuguese colonial settlers, and [[Portuguese Brazilian|more recent immigrants]], coming from [[Northern Portugal|Northern regions]], and in minor degree Portuguese [[Macaronesia]]), with a few influences from the [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|Amerindian]] and [[Languages of Africa|African languages]], especially [[West Africa]]n and [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] restricted to the vocabulary only.<ref name="Portuguese" /> As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other [[Portuguese-speaking countries]] (the dialects of the other countries, partly because of the more recent end of [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese colonialism]] in these regions, have a closer connection to contemporary [[European Portuguese]]). These differences are comparable to those between [[American English|American]] and [[British English]].<ref name="Portuguese">{{Cite web |title=Languages of Brazil |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=br |access-date=9 June 2008 |publisher=Ethnologue}}</ref>

The 2002 [[recognition of sign languages|sign language law]]<ref name="Libras 2002">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100910070529/http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/LEIS/2002/L10436.htm LEI Nº 10.436, DE 24 DE ABRIL DE 2002]. Presidência da República, Casa Civil, Subchefia para Assuntos Jurídicos. Retrieved on 19 May 2012.</ref> requires government authorities and public agencies to accept and provide information in ''Língua Brasileira dos Sinais'' or "LIBRAS", the [[Brazilian Sign Language]], while a 2005 presidential edict<ref name="Libras 2005">[http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2004-2006/2005/decreto/d5626.htm Brazilian decree nº 5626, 22 December 2005]. Planalto.gov.br (23 December 2005). Retrieved on 19 May 2012.</ref> extends this to require teaching of the language as a part of the [[school of education|education]] and [[speech and language pathology]] curricula. LIBRAS teachers, instructors and translators are recognized professionals. Schools and health services must provide access ("[[inclusion (education)|inclusion]]") to [[Deaf community|deaf people]].<ref name="Russo2011">{{Cite book |last=Charles J. Russo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JuV1cZ7NJHIC&pg=PA45 |title=The Legal Rights of Students with Disabilities: International Perspectives |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4422-1085-1 |page=45}}</ref>

Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eighty [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|Amerindian languages]] are spoken in remote areas and a significant number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants.<ref name="Portuguese" /> In the municipality of [[São Gabriel da Cachoeira]], [[Nheengatu language|Nheengatu]] (a currently endangered [[creole language]] with [[Old Tupi|Tupi]] lexicon and Portuguese-based grammar that, together with its southern relative [[língua geral paulista]], once was a major [[lingua franca]] in Brazil),<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=Lyle |title=The Indigenous Languages of South America: A Comprehensive Guide |last2=Grondona |first2=Verónica |last3=Muysken |first3=Peter |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2012 |isbn=978-3-11-025803-5 |page=247 |chapter=Contacts between indigenous languages in South America |quote=Nheengatú (also called língua geral of Amazonia, or lingua Brasilica) originated in the 17th century in what are now the states of Pará Maranhão, as lingua franca on the basis of Tupinambá lexicon but with strong grammatical influence from Portuguese, also due to intervention by Jesuit missionaries [...] Around 1700 it was spoken in a large area in Brazil, as a contact language between whites and indians, but it lost some support with the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1758 [...] Its sister language in the colonial period was Língua Geral Paulista (in the state of São Paolo) a lingua franca which is now extinct.}}</ref>{{overly detailed inline|date=July 2015}} [[Baniwa of Içana|Baniwa]] and Tucano languages had been granted co-official status with Portuguese.<ref name="nyt-language">{{Cite news |last=Rohter |first=Larry |date=28 August 2005 |title=Language Born of Colonialism Thrives Again in Amazon |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/28/international/americas/28amazon.html |access-date=14 July 2008}}</ref>

There are significant communities of German (mostly the [[Riograndenser Hunsrückisch|Brazilian Hunsrückisch]], a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly the [[Talian dialect|Talian]], a [[Venetian language|Venetian]] dialect) origins in the Southern and Southeastern regions, whose ancestors' native languages were carried along to Brazil, and which, still alive there, are influenced by the Portuguese language.<ref>{{Cite web |title=O alemão lusitano do Sul do Brasil |url=http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,1174391,00.html |publisher=DW-World.de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ELB |url=https://www.labeurb.unicamp.br/elb/europeias/talian.htm |website=labeurb.unicamp.br}}</ref> Talian is officially a historic patrimony of [[Rio Grande do Sul]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Approvato il progetto che dichiara il 'Talian' come patrimonio del Rio Grande del Sud – Brasile |url=http://www.sitoveneto.org/talian_patrimonio_de_rio_grando_do_sul.html  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304160633/http://www.sitoveneto.org/talian_patrimonio_de_rio_grando_do_sul.html |archive-date=4 March 2012 |access-date=9 March 2012 |publisher=Sitoveneto}}</ref> and two German dialects possess co-official status in a few municipalities.<ref name="Stevenson1997">{{Cite book |last=Patrick Stevenson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AviTvt-cPaUC&pg=PA39 |title=The German Language and the Real World: Sociolinguistic, Cultural, and Pragmatic Perspectives on Contemporary German |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-19-823738-9 |page=39}}</ref> Italian is also recognized as ''ethnic language'' in [[Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo|Santa Teresa]] and [[Vila Velha]], in the state of [[Espírito Santo]], and is taught as mandatory second language at school.{{Citation needed|reason=Previous reference was to article 13 of the Constitution, which does not support the statement|date=December 2024}}

=== Urbanization ===
{{Main|List of cities in Brazil by population}}

According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) urban areas already concentrate 84.35% of the population, while the Southeast region remains the most populated one, with over 80 million inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2011 |title=IDBGE |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/censo2010/default.shtm |access-date=8 October 2011 |publisher=IBGE |language=pt}}</ref>
The largest urban agglomerations in Brazil are [[São Paulo]], [[Rio de Janeiro]], and [[Belo Horizonte]]—all in the Southeastern Region—with 21.1, 12.3, and 5.1&nbsp;million inhabitants respectively.<ref name="concentrações_urbanas" /><!-- defined by template:Largest urban agglomerations in Brazil --><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arranjos Populacionais e Concentrações Urbanas do Brasil |url=http://geoftp.ibge.gov.br/organizacao_do_territorio/divisao_regional/arranjos_populacionais/arranjos_populacionais.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://geoftp.ibge.gov.br/organizacao_do_territorio/divisao_regional/arranjos_populacionais/arranjos_populacionais.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |access-date=16 March 2017 |publisher=Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics |page=148 |language=pt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Estimativas da população residente no Brasil e Unidades da Federação com data de referência em 1º de julho de 2016 |url=ftp://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Estimativas_de_Populacao/Estimativas_2016/estimativa_dou_2016.pdf |access-date=16 March 2017 |publisher=Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics |language=pt}}</ref> The majority of state capitals are the largest cities in their states, except for [[Vitória, Brazil|Vitória]], the capital of [[Espírito Santo]], and [[Florianópolis]], the capital of Santa Catarina.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Principal Cities |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=MSN |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_3/Brazil.html |access-date=10 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029034959/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_3/Brazil.html |archive-date=29 October 2009 }} {{Dubious|date=January 2010}}<!-- tertiary source --></ref>
{{Largest urban agglomerations in Brazil}}