The Brazilian diaspora in 2022: top destinations and trends

According to data from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 2022, approximately 4.6 million Brazilians resided outside their home country.

This figure, gathered from the ministry’s 196 global outposts, reveals a 4% increase from the previous year.

The United States is the primary destination, home to 1.9 million Brazilians, which is 42% of the total expatriate population.

Portugal follows with 360,000 residents, then Paraguay with 254,000, the United Kingdom with 220,000, and Japan with just under 207,000.

Geographically, the highest concentration of Brazilians in the U.S. is found in New York, followed by Boston, Miami, Lisboa, and London.

When breaking down by continent, North America houses the majority (45.1% of the total), trailed by Europe (32.4%), South America, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, Africa, and Central America & the Caribbean.

The total number of Brazilians abroad has seen fluctuating annual growth rates.

From 2010 to 2012, there was a decrease of 39%, but it rose by 48% in the subsequent year.

Since 2016, however, there has been a steady increase.

Top 10 Countries with Brazilian Populations:

1. United States: 1.9 million
2. Portugal: 360,000
3. Paraguay: 254,000
4. United Kingdom: 220,000
5. Japan: 206,990
6. Spain: 165,000
7. Germany: 160,000
8. Italy: 157,000
9. Canada: 133,170
10. French Guiana (France): 91,500

Due to the significant Brazilian diaspora, the Ministry performed over 434,000 consular services in 2022.

Of these, around 115,000 were emergency interventions, addressing issues ranging from arrests to hospitalizations and more.

Additionally, 230 Brazilians in Ukraine were evacuated during the onset of the conflict with Russia, and nearly 700,000 Brazilians abroad voted in the presidential election, with voting stations set up in 97 countries.