Capital

Brasilien

name: Brasília

geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W

time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

time zone note: Brazil has four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands

etymology: name bestowed on the new capital of Brazil upon its inauguration in 1960; previous Brazilian capitals had been Salvador from 1549 to 1763 and Rio de Janeiro from 1763 to 1960

Citizenship

Brasilien

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent only: yes

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years

Legal system

Brasilien

civil law; note - a new civil law code was enacted in 2002 replacing the 1916 code

Suffrage

Brasilien

voluntary between 16 to 18 years of age, over 70, and if illiterate; compulsory between 18 to 70 years of age; note - military conscripts by law cannot vote

Area

Brasilien

total: 8,515,770 sq km

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

Land use

Brasilien

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.)

Location

Brasilien

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Age structure

Brasilien

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)

Birth rate

Brasilien

13.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Brasilien

6.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Brasilien

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.

Life expectancy at birth

Brasilien

total population: 76.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 72.6 years

female: 79.8 years

Major urban areas - population

Brasilien

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)

Median age

Brasilien

total: 34.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 33.6 years

female: 35.7 years

Net migration rate

Brasilien

-0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Brasilien

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

Population growth rate

Brasilien

0.64% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Brasilien

1.75 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Brasilien

urban population: 87.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Brasilien

6% of GDP (2019 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Brasilien

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Brasilien

-1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Brasilien

4.48% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Brasilien

99.47 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Brasilien

4.2% (2016 est.)

note: approximately 4% of the population are below the "extreme" poverty line

Unemployment rate

Brasilien

14.4% (2021 est.)

13.69% (2020 est.)

11.93% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Brasilien

100.59% of GDP (2020 est.)

92.57% of GDP (2019 est.)

86.61% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Brasilien

8.3% (2021 est.)

3.21% (2020 est.)

3.73% (2019 est.)

Exports

Brasilien

$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.

Exports - partners

Brasilien

China 28%, United States 13% (2019)

Imports

Brasilien

$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

Imports - partners

Brasilien

China 21%, United States 18%, Germany 6%, Argentina 6% (2019)

Airports

Brasilien

4,093 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Brasilien

total: 36,344,670 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Brasilien

total: 170.1 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 81% (2021 est.)

Railways

Brasilien

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

Roadways

Brasilien

total: 2 million km (2018)

paved: 246,000 km (2018)

unpaved: 1.754 million km (2018)

Telephones - fixed lines

Brasilien

total subscriptions: 28,883,475 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Brasilien

total subscriptions: 219,660,524 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 102 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Brasilien

50,000 km (2012) (most in areas remote from industry and population)

Disputes - international

Brasilien

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, and incursions by Colombian insurgent/narco-terrorists groups in the area remain problematic issues

Brazil-Uruguay: the uncontested boundary dispute between Brazil and Uruguay 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