In 2016, the resident population was estimated at 205.5 million persons and 42% of it was in the Southeast. Men comprised 48.5% of the population and women, 51.5%. Between 2012 and 2016, the elderly population – those aged 60 years and over – increased 16.0%, reaching 29.6 million persons. The parcel of children up to 9 years of age in the population decreased from 14.1% to 12.9% in this period.

Between 2012 and 2016, the population that declared itself as white was reduced by 1.8%, adding up to 90.9 million persons, whereas the number of black persons grew 14.9% and that of brown persons, 6.6%, reaching 16.8 million and 95.9 million, respectively. In 2016, 76.8% of the population declared themselves as white, 18.7%, brown and 3.8%, black in the South Region. On the other hand, 72.3% of the population declared themselves as brown, 19.5%, white and 7.0%, black in the North Region.

69.2 million housing units were registered in Brazil in 2016, from which 86.0% were houses (59.6 million). 97.2% (67.3 million) of the housing units had running water. Among them, 87.3% received water daily from the water network. In the Northeast, 66.6% of the housing units with running water received it daily, whereas this percentage reached 98.1% in the South. The percentage of housing units connected to a sewage collection network – or that had a septic tank connected to it – was 65.9% (or 45.6 million housing units). In 2016, 82.6% (or 57.2 million) housing units had their garbage collected daily by a waste collection service.

Television was present in 97.4% of the housing units and refrigerator, in 98.1%.

Present in 63.0% of the housing units in Brazil, cleaning machines were the durable good that registered the highest percentage differences between the regions, varying from 33.5% in the Northeastern housing units to 83.3% in the South.

In 92.3% of the housing units, at least one resident owned a mobile telephone, while the traditional landline telephone was found in only 34.5% of them. 63.6% of the housing units accessed the Internet. In 60.3% of the housing units, the access was through a mobile telephone. The North Region had the lowest percentage of housing units accessing the Internet through microcomputers (20.9%) and the Northeast reported the lowest percentage of housing units accessing the Internet through mobile telephones (48.0%).

These are some of the highlights of the thematic module of the Continuous PNAD on Housing – with 2016 data – and Residents – with 2012-2016 data.

The complete information of the survey on the general characteristics of housing units are here and on the general characteristics of residents, here.

In 2016, the Brazilian resident population was estimated at 205.5 million persons. They were 198.6 million in 2012, i.e., a rise of 3.4%. Men represented 48.5% of the population and women, 51.5%. The Southeast Region concentrated 42.0% of the Brazilian population, which represented an increase of 3.1% in relation to 2012.

The percentage of persons aged 60 years and over in the Brazilian population changed from 12.8% to 14.4% between 2012 and 2016. The population within this age bracket increased 16.0%, changing from 25.5 million to 29.6 million. On the other hand, the parcel of children aged between 0 and 9 years in the resident population dropped from 14.1% to 12.9% in this period, a reduction of 4.7%.

In 2016, the North and Northeast Regions registered the biggest concentrations of their population in younger age groups. In the former, 36.7% of the persons were aged below 20 years and, in the latter, 31.5% of the persons were within this group. Still in the North Region, 18.2% of the population was aged 50 years and over, while 29.1% of the population in the South and 28.9% in the Southeast were within this age group.

Percentage of population self declared as white decreases from 46.6% to 44.2% between 2012 and 2016

The population self declared as white was 90.9 million persons in 2016, reducing 1.8% when compared with 2012. Conversely, the black (16.8 million) and brown (95.9 million) populations rose in this period: 14.9% and 6.6%, respectively.

In 2016, the white population represented 44.2% of the resident population, while 8.2% self declared as black and 46.7%, brown. In 2012, those who declared themselves as white were 46.6% against 45.3% of brown and 7.4% of black.

In 2016, 76.8% of the population in the South Region self declared as white, 18.7%, brown and only 3.8%, black. On the other hand, 72.3% of the population declared itself as brown, 19.5%, white and 7.0%, black in the North Region. In the region with the highest proportion of the resident population, the Southeast, 52.2% of the population self declared as white, 37.6%, brown and 9.0%, black.

Graph 5 - Distribution of the resident population by color or race, according to the Major Regions - 2016

Northeast, the lowest percentage of housing units (66.6%) with daily water supply from water network and South, the highest (98.1%)

69.2 million housing units were recorded in Brazil in 2016, from which 86.0% were houses (59.6 million) and 13.7%, apartments (9.5 million). Of this total, 68.2% were privately-owned and paid (47.2 million); 5.9% were privately-owned, but still being paid (4.1 million); 17.5% were rented (12.1 million); 8.2% were yielded (5.7 million); and 0.2% had any other condition (143 thousand housing units), like, for example, trespassing.

97.2% (67.3 million) of the housing units had running water, from which 85.8% of them had the water network as the main source of water supply. Of this contingent, 87.3% had a daily supply from the water network. In regional terms, the Northeast posted the lowest percentage of housing units with daily water supply (66.6%), whereas the South Region registered the highest percentage (98.1%).

Graph 06 - Percentage of housing units by Major Region, according to availability of water supply from the water network - 2016

65.9% of housing units have sewage from collection network or septic tank connected to it

In Brazil, 98.4% of the housing units (68.1 million) had bathrooms for exclusive use. In 65.9% of these housing units (45.6 million), sewage was drained through the sewage collection network or through a septic tank connected to the network, in 29.7% (20.6 million), through a septic tank not connected to the network and, in 2.8% (2.0 million), through any other form of drainage.

The Southeast Region recorded the highest percentage of housing units with sewage drained through the sewage collection network or a septic tank connected to the network (89.0%). The Northeast (44.3%) and North (18.9%) posted the lowest percentages.

Graph 08 - Percentage of housing units by Major Region, according to the form of sewage drainage - 2016

In 2016, 82.6% (57.2 million) of the housing units had their garbage directly collected by a waste collection service; in 7.7% (5.4 million) of the housing units, the garbage was collected in skips of the waste service and in 8.2% (5.7 million) of them, the garbage was burned within the property.

Electricity was available in 99.8% of the housing units, either from the general network or from an alternative source. Television was present in 97.4% of the housing units and refrigerator, in 98.1%.

Nearly half housing units have car

In Brazil, 47.4% of the housing units had cars, 21.8% had motorcycles and 10.4%, both.

The ownership of cleaning machines registered the biggest regional difference, recording a national average of 63.0%. The smallest percentage was in the Northeast Region (33.5%), followed by the North (41.4%), Central-West (67.1%), Southeast (76.8%) and South (83.3%) Regions.

63.6% of housing units access Internet, mostly through mobile phones

The survey also pointed out that in 92.3% of the housing units, at least one resident had a mobile telephone, whereas the conventional landline telephone was in 34.5% of them only.

63.6% of the housing units accessed the Internet. Concerning the equipment used to access the Internet, the results were: 60.3% through mobile telephones; 40.1% through microcomputers; 12.1% through tablets; 7.7% through TV sets; and 0.8% through other equipment.

The Southeast posted the biggest percentage of housing units accessing the Internet: 71.7%. The North Region registered the smallest percentage of housing units accessing the Internet through microcomputers (20.9%) and the Northeast, the smallest percentage through mobile telephones (48.0%).

Graph 10 - Percentage of housing units accessing the Internet by Major Region, according to the access equipment - 2016