Brazil
🇧🇷 South America · Federative Republic of Brazil
How Brazil ranks globally
About Brazil
Brazil (officially Federative Republic of Brazil) is a country in South America, with Brasília as its capital. It is home to roughly 212.81 million people, giving a population density of about 25 people per square kilometre. The country covers 8,515,767 km² of land and shares land borders with 10 neighbouring countries. Its economy is valued at approximately $2.28T in nominal GDP (2025), and it records a Human Development Index of 0.786. The official currency is the Brazilian real (BRL), and the main language is Portuguese.
Key indicators
💹 Economy
👥 People
🌍 Quality of Life
GDP over time
How Brazil measures up
How Brazil is governed
Head of state and government; holds executive power.
Leads the executive; commander of the armed forces.
Bicameral — Chamber of Deputies — 513 seats; Federal Senate — 81 seats
Who holds the power?
Brazil is a federal presidential republic modelled partly on the United States. The President is both head of state and head of government, directly elected and serving as commander of the armed forces. Power is divided among the executive, a bicameral National Congress and an independent judiciary led by the Supreme Federal Court. Brazil's many political parties mean presidents must build broad coalitions in Congress to govern.
Did you know?
Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas.
It contains roughly 60% of the Amazon rainforest.
Brazil borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.
Brazil is the 7th most populous country in the world, with about 212.81 million people.
By land area it is the 5th-largest country in the world, covering 8,515,767 km².
It has the world's 11th-largest economy by nominal GDP ($2.28T).
Brazil shares land borders with 10 countries.
Quick quiz — do you know Brazil?
What is the capital of Brazil?
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Neighbouring countries
More countries in Americas
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