Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Population

Population in Urban Area, now

13,674,776
  • World: 23rd
  • South America: 3rd
  • Brazil: 2nd

Population in City Area, 2022-09-09

6,023,699
  • World: 39th
  • South America: 5th
  • Brazil: 2nd

Rio de Janeiro Urban Area Population Graph

Rio de Janeiro Population Review

Rio is the second-most populated municipality in Brazil, after Sao Paulo. It is home to 13.4 million people in the urban area and around 6 million in the city area, making it the sixth-most populated city throughout the Americas.

Since 1950, the population of Rio has grown by over 10 million people, and continues to grow, with predictions it will reach 14.8 million residents by 2035. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, Rio is also the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

A World Heritage Site

A part of the city has actually been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on July 1 of 2012. UNESCO has deemed Rio de Janiero a ‘Cultural Landscape’ named “Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea”, the designation recognizes the city’s exceptional urban setting that have shaped Rio; including the highest points of Tijuca National Park’s mountains, right down to the sea. This designation also includes the city’s Botanical Gardens, the Corcovado Mountain—with its famous statue of Christ—and the hills surrounding Guanabara Bay.

A wealthy city

Rio has the second biggest municipal GDP of the entire country of Brazil (and the 30th in the world). Estimated at about $201 billion USD (or R$343 billion), the city’s GDP can mostly be attributed to oil, mining, and telecommunications companies. The city is also home to many universities and institutes and is the second-largest center for research and development in the country. Almost 17% of the national-scientific output could be attributed to Rio de Janeiro in 2005.

Risk of crime

Rio has a high crime rate and violent crimes, such as murder, armed robbery, assault, and kidnapping occur frequently. The level of crime and the increase in crime over the past 3 years are both high. The current homicide rate dropped by 19% in 2019, to about 3,995 murders. However, the rate of police killings has surged and increased by 18%. Foreign visitors to Rio de Janeiro are warned to be on the lookout for opportunistic crimes—such as purse snatching and pickpocketing—and most criminals in Rio are armed.

Brazil’s patriarchal justice system also means that crimes targeting women, including sexual violence, are rarely prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Femicide (homicide that targets women for their gender) is also high in the city, with over 300 women killed annually in the state of Rio.

A tourist mecca

The city of Rio is one of the most visited places in the Southern Hemisphere. Apart from its stunning natural settings, the city also attracts tourists for Carnival, samba, bossa nova, and its famous seaside resort beaches, such as Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. Additionally, tourists visit the statue of Christ the Redeemer that sits perched atop the Corcovaco mountains. Named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the Christ the Redeemer statue stands at 38 meters tall.

There are, on average, 2.25 million international tourists that visit Rio de Janeiro each year, and there are 1.7 million tourists that come to the city for the city’s famous Carnival alone.

Poverty in Rio

Rio’s favelas have become somewhat famous due to their depiction in the movie City of God. However, the favelas are a stark reminder that one fifth of Rio’s population live in several hundred favelas that are plagued by extreme poverty. The city has attempted to mitigate some of the issues of poverty and disease by offering a cash transfer program to familiar who agree to keep their children vaccinated and in school. Currently, Rio’s poverty rate is reflective of that of Brazil overall, where 18.57% of the population are considered to live in extreme poverty.

Review Updated: September 7, 2020

Rio de Janeiro Urban Area Population History

1950 3,026,000
1951 3,148,000
1952 3,275,000
1953 3,407,000
1954 3,544,000
1955 3,687,000
1956 3,836,000
1957 3,991,000
1958 4,151,000
1959 4,319,000
1960 4,493,000
1961 4,681,000
1962 4,879,000
1963 5,084,000
1964 5,299,000
1965 5,523,000
1966 5,756,000
1967 5,999,000
1968 6,252,000
1969 6,516,000
1970 6,791,000
1971 6,984,000
1972 7,165,000
1973 7,349,000
1974 7,539,000
1975 7,733,000
1976 7,933,000
1977 8,138,000
1978 8,347,000
1979 8,563,000
1980 8,784,000
1981 8,893,000
1982 8,979,000
1983 9,065,000
1984 9,153,000
1985 9,242,000
1986 9,331,000
1987 9,421,000
1988 9,513,000
1989 9,605,000
1990 9,697,000
1991 9,791,000
1992 9,940,000
1993 10,101,000
1994 10,265,000
1995 10,432,000
1996 10,601,000
1997 10,773,000
1998 10,948,000
1999 11,126,000
2000 11,307,000
2001 11,415,000
2002 11,518,000
2003 11,622,000
2004 11,726,000
2005 11,832,000
2006 11,938,000
2007 12,046,000
2008 12,154,000
2009 12,264,000
2010 12,374,000
2011 12,485,000
2012 12,598,000
2013 12,711,000
2014 12,825,000
2015 12,941,000
2016 13,057,000
2017 13,175,000
2018 13,293,000
2019 13,374,000
2020 13,458,000
2021 13,544,000
2022 13,634,000
2023 13,728,000
2024 13,824,000

Rio de Janeiro Urban Area Population Projections

2025 13,923,000
2026 14,023,000
2027 14,123,000
2028 14,221,000
2029 14,316,000
2030 14,408,000
2031 14,497,000
2032 14,581,000
2033 14,662,000
2034 14,738,000
2035 14,810,000

Map of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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