Share of population living in the capital city in Brazil

Brazil: Share of population living in the capital city was 0.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
0.7%
World rank
168th
of 170 countries
All-time high
0.7%
in 2020
All-time low
0.1%
in 1965
Years of data
12
1965–2020

Share of population living in the capital city in Brazil, 1965–2020

00.20.40.61965199220201965: 0.067 %1970: 0.075 %1975: 0.082 %1980: 0.21 %1985: 0.24 %1990: 0.317 %1995: 0.42 %2000: 0.505 %2005: 0.541 %2010: 0.581 %2015: 0.629 %2020: 0.666 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in the capital city in Brazil is 0.7%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Brazil peaked at 0.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1965.

Brazil ranks 168th of 170 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of population living in the capital city in Brazil, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in the capital city in Brazil, 1965 to 2020.
Year % Change
1965 0.1%
1970 0.1% +11.0%
1975 0.1% +9.8%
1980 0.2% +157.1%
1985 0.2% +14.0%
1990 0.3% +32.1%
1995 0.4% +32.7%
2000 0.5% +20.3%
2005 0.5% +7.0%
2010 0.6% +7.4%
2015 0.6% +8.4%
2020 0.7% +5.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1970s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2
1980s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 2
1990s 0.4% 0.3% 0.4% 2
2000s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 2
2010s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 2
2020s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1

Countries ranked near Brazil

  1. 165 China 1.2% compare
  2. 166 United States of America 0.9% compare
  3. 167 Côte d'Ivoire 0.8% compare
  4. 169 Nigeria 0.5% compare
  5. 170 Tanzania, United Republic of 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 170 places →

More population data for Brazil

All data for Brazil →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in the capital city in Brazil?
Share of population living in the capital city in Brazil was 0.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Brazil?
The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Brazil?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1965.
How does Brazil rank for share of population living in the capital city?
Brazil ranks 168th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Brazil?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Brazil data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in the capital city in Brazil. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-the-capital-city/brazil/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in the capital city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
170 places, 2,330 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.