Demographics of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro City is home to more than 6 million people, accounting for about 35% of the population of Rio de Janeiro State. Portuguese remains the most widely spoken language and Rio de Janeiro is the second city in the Portuguese speaking world.
History of Rio de Janeiro
In the mid-20th century, metropolitan Rio de Janeiro grew beyond its formerly narrow confines because of migration from other parts of Brazil, as well as a high rate of natural increase. The suburban population more than tripled to some 1.5 million between 1940 and 1960, at a time when the city proper exceeded 3.3 million. Following the transfer of the national capital to Brasília in 1960, Rio's rate of population growth slowed somewhat, although the suburban population continued to mushroom. By 1980 there were more than 5 million residents in the city and 3.6 million in the suburbs. Although subsequent growth continued at a lesser rate, by the early 21st century the metropolitan population exceeded 11 million, of which nearly half resided in the suburbs.