Rio - The population of Brazil has reached 182 million, which means it has almost doubled in a little over 30 years (93 million people lived in Brazil in 1970).

The government statistical bureau (IBGE) has just released a study on the Brazilian population that runs to the year 2050 ("Projeção da População do Brasil por Sexo e Idade para o período 1980-2050, Revisão 2004"). It is now estimated that in 2050, Brazil could have 260 million inhabitants. According to the IBGE, that will make Brazil the 6th most populous nation in the world, behind India, with 1.531 billion; China, with 1.395 billion; the United States with 408 million; Paquistan, with 348 million; and Indonesia, with 294 million.

In 2000, Brazil was the 5th most populous nation in the world (Paquistan was smaller then). Its populational growth rate was 1.5% (in 94th place) in 2000. This year it has fallen to 1.4%, slightly higher than the average world population growth rate of 1.24%. However, Brazilian populational growth should be 0.33% by the year 2045. And the IBGE says that at the present rate Brazil could reach zero populational growth in the year 2062.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Cristiane Ribeiro
Translator: Allen Bennett
08/31/2004