The indigenous population of Roraima is younger than the general population of the state, according to data from the 2022 Census released this Friday (3) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). A half of the indigenous population is under 18 years oldeight years less than the state average of 26 years.
The data is based on median agewhich is the separation measure that uses the age criterion to divide the population into two equal parts: 50% younger and 50% older.
Roraima is the state with the highest proportion of indigenous people in the country and the fifth largest in absolute numbers. There are 97,320 self-declared indigenous people, which corresponds to 15.2% of the total of 636,707 residents, according to the most recent data from the 2022 Demographic Census.
The median age of indigenous people from Roraima is seven years “smaller” than the national average, which is 25 years (see the national scenario below). The municipality of Uiramutã, in the Northeast, occupies the top of the list of municipalities with the youngest population in the country: half of the population is under 15 years old.
According to IBGE, indigenous people in Roraima they are even younger when they live within demarcated territories: It’s 16 years old. On the other hand, indigenous people who live outside them have a median age of 24.
Marta Antunes, responsible for the IBGE Traditional Peoples and Communities Project, explains that the data brings an update to the demographic profile of this population in relation to the 2010 Census.
“These data are important to support indigenous educational policies, which have a differentiated education policy, as well as health policies, such as vaccination of children, and assistance, which depend on this age group and gender”, explains Antunes.
- Half of the Brazilian population is up to 35 years old;
- Among indigenous people, half are up to 25 years old;
- Among the quilombolas, half are up to 31 years old.
Brazil has 1.7 million indigenous people and 1.3 million quilombolas, who represent respectively 0.8% and 0.65% of the total population, which is made up of 203 million inhabitants.
Census operation in Roraima
To carry out the Census in the indigenous lands of Roraima, IBGE census takers traveled through dense forest and mountainous regions, in addition to long boat trips. According to the Institute, 90% of sites are only accessible by small planes or helicopters.
With this scenario, the IBGE State Superintendency promoted the planning of the Census in a participatory manner, carrying out consultations, raising awareness about the importance of collection and approach meetings, always listening to indigenous leaders and other actors involved in the process.
The team that was part of the operation in indigenous lands participated in various training sessions and had the support of guides and interpreters. In Roraima, 40 of the 70 census takers specifically involved in this collection were indigenous. Another 19 states also had at least one indigenous census taker.
In addition to indigenous lands in the state of Roraima, there was also collection in shelters that welcome indigenous people in vulnerable situations and in spontaneous occupations, in action coordinated with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). ).
The IBGE also had the support of the Eastern and Yanomami Special Indigenous Health Districts, the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai), the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (Sesai), the federal government through the Ministry of Planning and Budget which, for updating of the Census in Yanomami territory, coordinated the support of four more ministries: Indigenous Peoples, Justice and Public Security, Defense and Health, and the state government.
The Legislative Assembly of Roraima (Ale-RR), the city halls of the 15 municipalities, the city councils and non-governmental organizations, in addition to the agencies of the United Nations (UN) also supported the Census.
