How has Rio de Janeiro grown?
Explore the factors behind the growth of Rio
How has Rio de Janeiro grown?
Rio’s population is growing rapidly. Since the 1950s the population of the city has trebled. Rio de Janeiro has an estimated 2016 population of 6.45 million. The metro population of Rio de Janeiro is much larger, however, with over 12 million residents in 2016.
Population graph for Rio de Janeiro
Migration
As Rio has developed it has attracted migrants from within Brazil and from abroad. One of the largest groups of migrants is Portuguese people. In fact, Rio is the largest Portuguese city outside of Portugal. Rural to urban migration has been a major cause of population growth. Migrants are pulled to the city because of better education and employment opportunities along with improved living conditions. Migrants have been pushed from rural areas due to factors such as mechanisation (use of machinery) on farms, poor living conditions and the lack of employment opportunities. More recently Rio has attracted migrants from South Korea and China who seek business opportunities.
Natural Increase
The high rate of migration into Rio has led to a youthful population in the city. As the result of this, the city has a high rate of natural increase due to the high birth rate and relatively low death rate.
Related Topics
Use the images below to explore related GeoTopics.
What is the location and importance of Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro Home
What are the social and economic opportunities associated with the growth of Rio?
Top Pages
Top Posts and Pages
Latest Blog Entries
Tweet Treats #8October 20, 2019 - 7:28 pm
Rayburn ToursTop 10 best things to do in Iceland on a budgetOctober 17, 2019 - 7:15 pm- Tweet Treats #7October 13, 2019 - 7:15 pm
Geography Retrieval WheelOctober 13, 2019 - 5:16 pm
Typhoon Hagibis Online ResourcesOctober 13, 2019 - 12:07 pm
Modelling Answers in GeographyOctober 7, 2019 - 6:22 pm
How can Internet Geography Plus be used in the geography classroom?October 7, 2019 - 3:46 pm