Cristiane Ribeiro
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Rio - Estimates by the government statistical bureau (IBGE) are that the Brazilian population, at 182.1 million in the 2004 census, will rise to 260 million in just over 45 years.

Although that may seem like a sharp increase, the IBGE reports that, following a worldwide trend, since the 1970s population growth in Brazil has slowed significantly due to a drop in the birth rate and the average number of children women are having.

Between 1991 and 2004, the birth rate fell from 23.4 to 20.6 births per 1,000 inhabitants. And at the same time the average number of children women were having fell from 2.7 to 2.3.

The 2004 IBGE household survey of social indicators (Síntese dos Indicadores Sociais 2004) also found that in 2004 there were 7.7 million senior citizens (people who were 70 or older) and estimates that in 2050 that number will be over 34 million (with the percentage of older people in the population rising from 4.2% to 13.2%).

Translation: Allen Bennett