Today, birth rates struggle to keep up with coronavirus deaths in Brazil. Bolsonaro wines and dines big business. Government begins its infrastructure auctions, to some (contested) success
The pandemic could shrink the Brazilian population
The Brazilian population has consistently grown over the past century and a half — from 100 million in 1872 to 212 million now. Birth rates have tailed off in recent decades, but the country’s official statistics agency predicted that deaths would only outnumber births come 2047. However, the coronavirus pandemic is threatening to bring that phenomenon forward by nearly three decades.
- So far in April, births outnumber deaths in Brazil by a mere 331 individuals. But the upcoming weeks are expected to be the deadliest of the pandemic so far — with Health Ministry officials expecting daily confirmed deaths topping the 5,000 mark.
Why it matters. Brazil’s population was already aging at a faster pace than the rest of the world. Pandemic-related deaths could accentuate this trend, which is set to have long-lasting repercussions on the country’s health and pension systems. In January and February, births were already down 24 percent compared to the same period last year.
- Projections by the Brazilian Institute of Geography...