Almost 70% of residents on indigenous lands are under 30 years old

Data from the 2022 Census indicate that 56.1% of the country’s indigenous people are under 30 years old. When considering only those residing in Indigenous Lands, this percentage rises to 68.9%.

Information related to the age and sex of these populations was released this Friday (3) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). They indicate a much younger population profile than that recorded by the total population of Brazil.

According to the general results of the 2022 Census, published last year, 1,694,836 indigenous people live within Brazilian borders, which represents 0.83% of all residents in the country. Of this total, 36.73% live within Indigenous Lands.

The data also showed that these populations are distributed across 4,833 municipalities in all regions of the country. Two of them, however, record a higher concentration of indigenous people: the North Region, with 44% of them, and the Northeast Region, with 31%.

The body responsible for demarcating Indigenous Lands is the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai). In its data collection, the 2022 Census considered all territories with a declared, approved, regularized land status and referred to as an indigenous reserve until July 2022, the research reference date, when there were 573 lands in this situation.

Age

Statistics on age and sex were presented by IBGE as another step in detailing data from the 2022 Census. One of the data that reveals the younger profile of indigenous populations is the median age. It divides the population in half: the lower it is, it means there is a higher proportion of young people.

In the case of the country’s general population, the 2022 Census showed a median of 35 years. Among indigenous people, it was 25 years. When only those residing on certified land are considered, the median drops to 19, which indicates an even younger population profile.

Comparison is also possible using the aging index, which indicates how many elderly people aged 60 or over exist for each group of 100 people aged 0 to 14. Considering the entire population of Brazil, this rate is 80. Among indigenous people, it is 35.55. Specifically in indigenous lands, it drops to 14.52.

Among factors that would contribute to this scenario, according to IBGE researchers, is community life, which would allow, for example, greater support in caring for children.

Despite the younger profile, when the comparison is made with the 2010 Census, there has been a reduction in the base of the pyramid over the last decade. According to the researchers, this suggests a slight reduction in the fertility of these populations.

According to Fernando Damasco, IBGE researcher, it is also necessary to consider that there are specificities involving the territorial dynamics of different ethnicities and also in different regions.

“The indigenous lands of the Northeast Region have aging rates that are much higher than those of the indigenous lands of the Legal Amazon. This indicates dynamics very specific to the indigenous people of the Northeast. There is greater proximity to urban centers, more intense flows of exit and circulation for different purposes of life everyday”, he points out.

Sex

Statistics indicate that the indigenous population is more male compared to the general population of the country. This occurs especially within indigenous lands, where all age groups up to 69 years old show a predominance of men.

Brazil has 94.25 men for every 100 women. But when looking at just the indigenous population, there are 97.07 men for every 100 women. Considering only those residing in Indigenous Lands, this proportion increases even further: 104.9 men for every 100 women.

It is noteworthy that, when only covering indigenous people who live outside demarcated areas, the situation is reversed. Among them, there are 92.79 men for every 100 women. Furthermore, in this population, there is a male predominance only in the age groups up to 14 years old.

The researchers raise some hypotheses, but highlight the need to carry out additional studies. One of the possible explanations is lower male mortality, due to greater security within demarcated indigenous lands.

Another hypothesis involves greater migration of women. “They go in search of work in urban centers close to indigenous lands as a complement to the work done by men in terms of production and articulation within the territories. Women also migrate a lot due to accompanying their children in the schooling stage”, indicates Damasco.

Marta Antunes, IBGE researcher, highlights a possible higher maternal mortality. “We have some studies in the field of health demography, taking into account the location of indigenous lands, which are sometimes further away from more complete health care. We can have this effect by acting on maternal mortality. And also due to the fact that indigenous women have children until later. From the last pregnancies onwards, there is an increase in maternal mortality, mainly due to hemorrhages during births”.