Brazil’s Population Climbs to Nearly 203 Million

The Brazilian population climbed above 202 million last month, an increase of 0.86 percent from July 2013, the country’s IBGE statistics agency said Thursday.

The giant South American nation’s 5,570 municipalities had a total of 202.7 million residents as of July 1, according to the IBGE report, which is based on extrapolations from Brazil’s 2010 census.

Medium-sized cities, defined as those having a population in the range of 100,000-500,000, experienced the greatest demographic expansion over the 12-month period.

Nearly 43 percent of Brazilians, or roughly 87 million people, are concentrated in the country’s 25 largest metropolitan areas, the IBGE said.

Sao Paulo, Brazil’s business and financial capital, is home to 11.9 million people, with another 9 million living in the suburbs.

Next comes Rio de Janeiro, with 6.4 million residents inside the city limits, followed by Salvador, 2.9 million; Brasilia, 2.8 million; and Fortaleza, with 2.5 million inhabitants.

The most populous state is Sao Paulo, whose 44 million residents represent nearly 22 percent of all Brazilians.

Published in Latino Daily News