Indigenous Population in Brazil Doubled Since 2010

According to figures released by the Brazilian National Statistics Agency (IBGE) based on the 2022 population census, the indigenous population has reached 1.69 million, nearly double the number previously acknowledged by the state. The agency reported that the indigenous population in Brazil was 896,917 in 2010. Government officials indicated that the increase of 88 percent is attributed to a methodological change by census teams, which have started visiting remote villages in the Amazon rainforest to count indigenous populations for the first time. Brazilian Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sonia Guajajara noted the rising number of indigenous individuals who now identify themselves as such. Guajajara stated, "People today feel more comfortable identifying themselves as indigenous. They previously had to hide their identity for fear of being killed." Meanwhile, Brazilian Minister of Planning Simone Tebet said, "The new population figures will allow for improved budget financing for policies aimed at assisting indigenous communities in the areas of education and health to compensate for government neglect." Tebet added that census teams have managed to cover villages that were previously inaccessible or too dangerous to reach.