01
Physical geography
Mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt.
Local timeBrasília ·
South America · Card 003
Brazil
Brazil is a country in South America. Its capital is Brasília.
Find Brazil
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Brasília
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Currency
- Brazilian real (BRL)
- Population
- 212.8 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 8,515,767 km²3,287,954.67 square miles
- Independence
- 1822from Portugal
Brazil in context
South America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Brasília; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Portuguese is the official national language. Indigenous languages and languages associated with immigrant communities are also spoken.
03
Location
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean.
Flag
Green with a large yellow diamond in the center, showing a blue celestial globe with 27 five-pointed white stars; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)
History & independence
Brazil’s Indigenous peoples lived in diverse societies before Portuguese colonisation. Plantation agriculture and mining relied heavily on enslaved African labour. In 1822, Pedro declared independence from Portugal, and Brazil became an empire; fighting and diplomatic recognition followed. Slavery was abolished in 1888 and a republic proclaimed in 1889. Military rule from 1964 to 1985 was followed by civilian government and the 1988 constitution.
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Independence from Portugal is declared
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Slavery is abolished
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Brazil becomes a republic
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The current democratic constitution is adopted
Economy
Main activities
Brazil has South America’s largest economy, with a broad service sector, manufacturing, agriculture and mineral production. Soybeans, coffee, beef, iron ore and oil are important exports. Industry includes vehicles, aircraft, machinery and food processing. Its large domestic market supports diverse businesses, while inequality, infrastructure needs and environmental pressures remain major challenges.
Industry and production
Vehicles, aircraft, machinery, steel, food processing, petroleum production and mining.
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people212.82025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 95,375,651 | 95.376 |
| 1980 | 121,207,461 | 121.207 |
| 1990 | 149,143,223 | 149.143 |
| 2000 | 174,018,282 | 174.018 |
| 2010 | 193,701,929 | 193.702 |
| 2020 | 208,660,842 | 208.661 |
| 2025 | 212,812,405 | 212.812 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars2.12025 · trillions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 917,211,118,029 | 0.917 |
| 1991 | 926,678,475,666 | 0.927 |
| 1992 | 921,636,677,089 | 0.922 |
| 1993 | 967,024,426,396 | 0.967 |
| 1994 | 1,023,623,112,444 | 1.024 |
| 1995 | 1,066,858,840,298 | 1.067 |
| 1996 | 1,090,424,301,690 | 1.090 |
| 1997 | 1,127,442,527,330 | 1.127 |
| 1998 | 1,131,254,386,852 | 1.131 |
| 1999 | 1,136,547,951,100 | 1.137 |
| 2000 | 1,186,419,100,641 | 1.186 |
| 2001 | 1,202,909,097,021 | 1.203 |
| 2002 | 1,239,639,467,498 | 1.240 |
| 2003 | 1,253,781,634,017 | 1.254 |
| 2004 | 1,325,999,012,758 | 1.326 |
| 2005 | 1,368,459,252,278 | 1.368 |
| 2006 | 1,422,677,453,371 | 1.423 |
| 2007 | 1,509,032,133,942 | 1.509 |
| 2008 | 1,585,905,180,197 | 1.586 |
| 2009 | 1,583,909,921,137 | 1.584 |
| 2010 | 1,703,150,236,757 | 1.703 |
| 2011 | 1,770,840,632,844 | 1.771 |
| 2012 | 1,804,861,597,828 | 1.805 |
| 2013 | 1,859,094,488,272 | 1.859 |
| 2014 | 1,868,463,501,662 | 1.868 |
| 2015 | 1,802,212,206,814 | 1.802 |
| 2016 | 1,743,173,232,417 | 1.743 |
| 2017 | 1,766,233,131,667 | 1.766 |
| 2018 | 1,797,736,844,969 | 1.798 |
| 2019 | 1,819,683,217,699 | 1.820 |
| 2020 | 1,760,056,587,795 | 1.760 |
| 2021 | 1,843,881,119,920 | 1.844 |
| 2022 | 1,899,505,377,558 | 1.900 |
| 2023 | 1,961,080,794,856 | 1.961 |
| 2024 | 2,028,136,327,872 | 2.028 |
| 2025 | 2,074,494,382,804 | 2.074 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.786High human developmentRank 84 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.641
20000.690
20100.748
20200.770
20230.786
75.8 yearsLife expectancy at birth
8.4 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
A federal presidential republic. An elected President heads the executive. The National Congress consists of the Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate. States, the Federal District and municipalities have their own elected institutions.
Knowledge check
Three questions about Brazil.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
What is the capital of Brazil?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.