About Brazil
Area: 8,547,403 sq km (47% of South America). This is 35 times the area of the U.K.
Population (2003): 175.9 million (6th largest
in world)
81% of the population lives in cities or towns, most of them
on or near the coast. (In 1945, 70% of the population lived
in the countryside.)
Population growth: 1.3% (annual average rate
1995-2001) (urban rate 2.3%)
However, the annual population growth rate has dropped dramatically
from 2.9% in the 1960s and 2.0% in the 1980's.
% age of population under 18 years old (1999): 34.0%, although
this figure is falling. (In the UK it is 22.7%.)
Language: Portuguese, and 170 indigenous languages spoken by Brazil's 320,000 Indians.
Capital: Brasília, 2.0 million inhabitants
(2000, official estimate)
Other major cities: São Paulo (17 million inhabitants),
Rio de Janeiro (10 million), Belo Horizonte (2.2 million),
Salvador (2.4 million)
Social indicators
UNDP Human Development Index (2003): 65nd
out of 174
This index attempts to measure the average quality of life
of a country's people.
Life expectancy (2001): 67.8 years (Life expectancy in the UK is 77 years)
Infant mortality (0-5 years) 2001: 36 per
1000 live births.
(For UK: 7 per 1000. For India: 93 per 1000)
However, there are regional and class variations concealed
within this figure. A survey conducted in 1984 found it to
be nearly four times as high for children born of illiterate
mothers in the shanty towns around the coastal cities of the
northeast as for children born of educated parents in the
prosperous zones of the south.
Unicef under-5 mortality rate (2001): 92
This gives a measure of country's infant mortality rate compared
to all other countries of the world. The highest infant mortality
rate is ranked "1" and the lowest is ranked "193".
Fertility: In 2001, a woman had on average 2.2 children. In 1990, she had on average 2.8 children and in 1960 an average of 6.2 children.
Education: Primary education is free between
7 and 14 years (8 years) and secondary education is free 14
to 18 (4 years).
Since 1994 there have been attempts to improve the provision
of education and, in particular, to put a greater priority
on the more basic levels of education.
In 1996 Congress passed legislation requiring 15% of state
and municipal revenue to be spent on primary education.
Public expenditure on education as a percentage of total government
expenditure averaged 12.9% between 1998-2000. This was equivalent
to 4.7% of the GDP.
In 1996, 91% of school age children are registered in school
Between 1995-9, 66% of children starting primary school reach
grade 5 (11 years old).
It is estimated that 8 million children live on the streets
of Brazil.
Adult illiteracy (2001): 15%
There are wide variations in this figure. In 1993, it was
10% in São Paulo, but 40% in Piaui.
In 1996, illiteracy above 7 years old was estimated at 11.5%
in urban areas but 33.3% in rural areas.)
Malnutrition: Between 1998-2000, 10% of
the population were considered undernourished.
From 1995 to 2000 an average of 9% of infants were born with
low birth weight. In the same period 6% of under-5s were suffering
from moderate and severe underweight.
Population per doctor: 633 (in the UK this
is 610)
However, there are significant variations in access to health
within the population with the majority of health professionals
and services concentrated in the wealthier and urban areas.
In 2000 public spending on health was 3.4% of GDP. However,
most middle class and upper class Brazilians pay for medical
insurance. In the same year (2000) private spending on healthcare
totalled 4.9% of GDP.
With an estimated 170 million inhabitants, Brazil has the largest population in Latin America and ranks sixth in the world. In Brazil, 54 million people live below the poverty line. The child mortality rate has fallen to 29 per 1,000 live births, but remains disproportional to national production capacity and available technology. Maternal mortality continues to be a problem, although its magnitude is unclear due to a lack of consistent data despite 96 per cent of deliveries taking place in hospitals. Pre-natal care is considered to be of low quality and of unequal access to different segments of the population and regions of the country. The fight against HIV/AIDS requires special actions focused on children and youth. With 97 per cent enrolment in primary school, the educational challenge is that of quality: 1.1 million children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 are still unable to read and write; 11 per cent of children are completing eight years of primary school by age 15.
Some facts and figures
- Brazil has approx 2,500,000 children who live in poverty (UNICEF)
- 7,528,500 of them live on the streets (UNICEF)
- Death squads still operate in Brazil
- Between 1989 and 1990 at least 4,611 street children were murdered (Jubilee 1998)
- Between 1993 and 1996 juvenile courts data showed over 3000 brutal deaths of children aged 11 to 17 in Rio
- Killings by police officers was the 3rd largest known cause of murder of children in Brazil
- There are countless reports of the police beating, raping and torturing street children in Brazil
The problems of the world are massive and somewhat overwhelming, however if everyone does just a little bit then we surely will Make a Difference.
We will always fight to improve this…
Click the thumbnails below to view some pictures of Brazil:
Map:
