Brazil has 1.7 million indigenous people, less than 1% of the total population
Brazil has close to 1.7 million indigenous inhabitants, representing 0.83% of its total population of 203.1 million, according to the 2022 Demographic Census released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
This number is 88.8% higher than the count from the previous census in 2010, which reported 896.9 thousand indigenous individuals.
However, these numbers may not be directly comparable.
The IBGE notes that the sharp rise isn’t solely due to demographic factors but is attributed to changes in census methodology.
Additionally, the 2010 census possibly undercounted the indigenous population, an issue that the 2022 census aimed to address with refined data collection techniques.
For the 2022 census, individuals across Brazil were asked to identify their race.
If someone within an indigenous locality did not identify as indigenous, a follow-up question was asked to confirm their indigenous identity.
This method differs slightly from the 2010 approach, possibly leading to previous undercounts.
Of the total indigenous count in 2022, 72.42% identified their race as indigenous, while the remaining 27.58% considered themselves indigenous when asked in the follow-up question.
This secondary percentage was only 8.8% in 2010.
In terms of geographical distribution, over half of the indigenous population resides in the Amazon region.
The 2022 census found indigenous inhabitants in 4,832 municipalities, up from 4,480 in 2010.
Manaus has the highest number of indigenous residents, with 71.7 thousand individuals identified as indigenous in 2022.
In terms of proportions, Uiramutã in Roraima boasts the highest percentage of indigenous residents, with 96.6% of its inhabitants identifying as indigenous.
The census also reported 573 officially demarcated indigenous lands in Brazil as of July 2022.
Only 36.73% of the country’s indigenous population resides in these designated areas, with the Yanomami Indigenous Land being the most populous.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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