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Study shows 60 years of social changes in Brazil

May 25, 2007 10h00 AM | Last Updated: August 20, 2018 04h40 PM

 

Between the Censuses of 1940 and of 2000, the Brazilian population increased four times. The rural Brazil became urban (the urbanization rate changed from 31.3% to 81.2%). In this period, the Brazilian population grew older, and the percentage of persons between 15 and 59 years of age increased from 53% to 61.8%. The number of persons who declared to be brown increased from 21.2% to 38.5%, as a consequence of the miscegenation process. In terms of religion, in these 60 years, the number of Protestants changed from 2.6% to 15.4% of the population. The country managed to reduce the illiteracy rate by five times, from 56.8% to 12.1%. The schooling rate for children aged between 7 and 14 years increased from 30.6% to 94.5%. The percentage of married persons increased from 42.2% to 49.5%. The number of native Brazilians changed from 96.6% to 99.6%. In the period considered, agriculture, livestock and forestry, which held 32.6% of the employed population in 1940, only employed 17.9% in 2000.

 

These are some of the conclusions of the study “Demographic Tendencies: an analysis of the population based on the results of the Demographic Censuses of 1940 and 2000”, released on May 25, bringing information about sex, age, color, religion, nationality, education, marriage rates  and economic activity relative to both Censuses.

 

Between 1940 and 2000, the Brazilian population increased four times, changing from 41,2 million to 169,8 million inhabitants. In the 1940’s, the five most populated states in Brazil were São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul. In 2000, Bahia changed positions with Rio de Janeiro. In 1940, the municipality of Rio de Janeiro was the highlight as the most populated one, being followed by São Paulo, Recife, Salvador and Porto Alegre. In 2000, São Paulo was the most populated municipality, and concentrated 6.1% of the population in the country. In 1940, there was a balance between the number of women and men (20.6 million); in 2000, women (86 million) already outnumbered men (83,6 million). In the analysis of percentages of men and women in the Major Regions, it was observed that the Northeast was the only one with female predominance in 1940, probably as a consequence of male migration.

 

Biggest population increase occurred in the Central West and North Regions

 

In 60 years, the demographic density1 changed from 4,8 inhab/ km2 to 19.9 inhab/ km2. The population of the Central West Region (which changed from 0.7 to 7.2 inhab/km) increased 2.5 times more than the country population. It was followed by the North Region (from 0,4 to 3,4 inhab/km), whose density increase was twice as that of the country. According to the study, in 1940 there was population concentration on the coast and population groups spread in the inner parts of the country, especially in the Southeast and South Regions, but it was already possible to see signs of settlement in the Central West Region. Sixty years later, the differences among the Regions remained, for instance, the demographic density in the North differed from the density in the Southeast, 3.4 inhab/km2 and 78.3 inhab/km2, respectively.

 

 

In the Southeast Region, Rio de Janeiro, with 82 inhabitants/km2 (1940) and 328 inhabitants / km2 (200) and São Paulo, with 28 inhabitants/ km2 (1940) and 149 inhabitants/km2 (2000), had the highest figures for population density in the country. The state of Alagoas, both in 1940 and in 2000 kept the third position in the national ranking, with 34 inhabitants / km2 (1940) and 101 inhabitants/km2 (2000). However, the states in the North Region had the biggest increase, especially Rondônia and Roraima. In 1940, the population of these states did not reach 1 inhabitant/km2 and changed, in 2000, to 5 inhabitants/km2 and approximately 2 inhabitants/km2, respectively.

 

Between 1940 and 2000, the highest growth rates were those of the Central West and North Regions (4.1% and 3.6%). In the analysis by state, the highest rates were registered in Rondônia (8.0%) and Roraima (6.0%), areas favored by demographic increase due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier, which started in the 1970’s. The lowest rates were those of the state of Paraíba (1.5%) and Minas Gerais (1.7%) and were, in general, related to negative migration balance.


In the period covered by the study, a rural Brazil became urban. In the 1940’s, less than one third (31.3%) of the population lived in cities, whereas in 2000 this group increased to 81.2%. The urban population, which amounted to 12,8 million inhabitants, in 1940, reached 137,9 million in the last Census. In absolute figures, however, the rural population increased from 28,2 million to 31,8 million inhabitants, between the two moments. In the Census of 1940, Brazil had 1,574 municipalities. Throughout the following sixty years, a total 3,933 municipalities were created, amounting to 5,507.  Currently, there are 5,564 municipalities in the country. The major increment to the creation of municipalities was more significant in those with up to 5 thousand inhabitants. In 1940, 54.4% of the municipalities had a population of up to 20 thousand inhabitants. In 2000, these were 73% of the overall number of municipalities.

 

The decrease of the fertility rate and the reduction of mortality contributed to the narrowing of the base of age pyramid of the Brazilian population, between the Censuses of 1940 and 2000. There was reduction of the number of young people and increase of the elderly population. Whereas the number of persons between 0 and 14 years of age decreased in the period approached, from 42.9% to 29.9% of the population; in the age group between 15 and 59 years of age, there was increase from 53% to 61.8%, and also among the elderly (60 years of age or over), with change from 4.1% to 8.6%. In relation to the participation of the non-active population (children, teenagers and elderly persons) in the active population segment, in the first Census studied there were 88,7 non-active persons for 100 persons at active-age. In 2000, there were 61,7 non-active persons for 100 member of the active population.

Miscegenation reduces percentage of blacks and whites

 

In 1940, the persons who declared to be white made up 63.4% of the population and, according to the Census of 2000, there was reduction of this figure to 53.7%. The proportion of black persons also decreased (from 14.6% to 6.2%). There was significant increase of the population who declared to be brown, from 21.2% to 38.5%, as a consequence of the miscegenation process. The Northeast region concentrated, in 1940, the biggest percentage of blacks in the country (19.6%). This predominance remained true in 2000; however, the black population then had fallen to 7.7%. In 1940, the South Region was the highlight in terms of the white population (89.4%) and the lower percentage of black persons in the country. In 2000, the South Region kept the bigger number of white persons (83.6%). Santa Catarina (94.4%) and Rio Grande do Sul (88.7%) led, in the Census of 1940, the percentage of white persons, due to immigration, especially of Germans, Italians and Slavs. The Census of 1940 does not include the Indians, who were counted in Census 2000: 734 thousand all over the national territory, that is, 0.4% of the Brazilian population.


Number of Protestants increased in all the areas

                                                              

The study showed there was significant reduction of the number of Roman Catholics from 95% to 73.6%, in the period 1940/2000. Meanwhile, Protestants increased from 2.6% to 15.4%. The study showed that, in 1940, 98.9% of residents of the Northeast region were Catholic, and in the Census of 2000, this region also had the biggest number of Catholics (79.9%). In relation to Protestants, the South had the highest percentage by Region (8.9%), whereas in 2000 this leadership went to the North Region (19.8%). Among the states, Rondônia had very significant increase of the number of Protestants, in the period 1940/2000, which reached 27.2% of the overall population. The loss of Catholic members in the state is also appalling – 39.8%. Piauí remains as the state with the highest percentage of Catholics between the 1940’s (99.6%)  and 2000 (89.9%).


Brazil had 16,4 million illiterate persons both in 1940 and in 2000

 

Comparing the censuses of 1940 and 2000, the illiteracy rate of persons 10 years of age or over was reduced five times, and changed from 56.8% to 12.1%. In absolute numbers, the country had, in 1940, the same number of illiterate persons as in 2000 – 16,4 million. Regional differences were maintained in the two Censuses. While the latest census of the country (2000) showed illiteracy rates which ranged from 5.3%, in Santa Catarina and 30.1%, in Alagoas, 60 years ago these differences ranged from 34.1, in Rio de Janeiro, to 80.5%, in Tocantins. In 1940, the ten highest illiteracy rates were those in the North and Northeast Regions, except Goiás (which was number seven in the list). This situation remained the same until 2000.

 

In 1940, less than one third of the persons between 7 and 14 years of age used to attend school, while in 2000, the schooling rate changed to almost 95% of children in this age group. The biggest increases were observed in the Northeast Regions, which changed from 18.8% (1940) to 92.9% (2000) and Central West, which changed from 20.5% to 95.5%. The low level of schooling in the 1940’s was shown by rates which ranged from 9,7%, in Tocantins, and 54.3%, in Rio de Janeiro. In 2000, Rio Grande do Sul reached the figure 97.3% of the persons between 7 and 14 years of age enrolled in school, whereas Amazonas had the lowest schooling rate (83.2%).


Fewer single persons and more consensual unions

 

In the 1940’s, over half of the persons 10 years of age or over were single (51.6%), whereas in 2000 this percentage fell to about one-third of the population in this age group (38.5%). On the other hand, the percentage of married persons increased from 42.2% to 49.5% and the percentage of divorced or separated people in this same age group increased from 0.2% to 4.1%. The percentage of widows/widowers fell from 5.9% to 4.1% in this period. In 1940, Amapá was the state with the highest percentage of single persons (62.1%); in 2000, Piauí (43.3%) occupied this position. Both in 1940 and in 2000, men were the majority among the single persons, and in 1940 the North Region had a significant percentage of single men (62.2%). A detail revealed by the Census of 2000 was the increase of consensual unions, a fact which had not been investigated in 1940.  The bigger proportion of married persons, in 1940, was in the Southeast (44.6%), and the South had most of the married persons (54.6%) sixty years later.

 

In 2000, Japanese people were present in 9% of the Brazilian municipalities

 

The distribution of the population of the country by nationality, in 1940, revealed that 96.6% were native Brazilians, and 3.1%, foreigners. In 2000, 99.6% were native Brazilians. From 1940 until nowadays, the highest immigration percentage occurred in the 1950’s, when 203,4 thousand people arrived at the country. Among these newcomers, almost half (43.6%) were immigrants from Europe. According to the Census of 2000, 9% of the 5,507 municipalities had Japanese people, especially the states of São Paulo and Paraná; 6.1% of the municipalities had Portuguese people, especially Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; 5.1% of the municipalities were the home of Italians, mainly São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre; 4.4% of the municipalities had Spanish people especially São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador; 3.6% of the municipalities had Germans, especially the capitals: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and  Porto Alegre.

 

Manpower in the Northeast Region remains predominantly rural

 

In 1940, 28,9 million persons 10 years of age or over were employed in some economic activity. This figure later increased to 65,6 million persons. Agriculture, livestock and forestry, in 1940, accounted for 32.6% of the employed population. This figure fell by almost half, and was 17.9% in 2000. The participation of women in this group almost doubled.

 

In 1940, the distribution of the population by age showed a bigger participation of the group aged 10 – 19 years in the in the employed population, with 33.7% of the total, characterizing a country of agricultural and subsistence economy. The behavior observed in 2000 showed that most of the employed population was in the group aged 20 – 29 years.  

 

The study also showed that, in 1940, in the states of Tocantins, Paraíba and Espírito Santo, the percentage of persons 10 years of age or over employed in agriculture, livestock and forestry reached 40% of the overall population. The lowest percentages were those of states located in the North region, as a consequence of the development of extraction activities, and also in the state of Rio de Janeiro, as a consequence of the inclusion of manpower in other activity sectors. In 2000, the states located in the Northeast region kept the first positions in terms of agricultural activities, and Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the lowest ones, with 2.5% and 5.8%, respectively.  

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 1Result of the division of the overall volume of the population by its territorial extension (inhabitants/km2)