Brazil now hosts just over 2 million international immigrants, including residents, temporary migrants, refugees and people seeking refugee status, according to a new report presented by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
The 12th annual report by OBMigra, Brazil’s Observatory of International Migration, says the population comes from 200 nationalities and is present in every state. Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans and Angolans are among the most prominent groups. The report estimates that about 680,000 Venezuelans lived in Brazil at the start of 2026, with a larger share of women and children aged 14 or younger.
A New Policy Framework
The study is meant to support Brazil’s new National Policy on Migration, Refuge and Statelessness, known by its Portuguese acronym PNMRA. UOL reported that the policy was enacted at the end of 2025 through Decree No. 12,657/2025, replacing the 2017 Migration Law.
The report examines migration flows, entry points, age and sex composition, geographic distribution and regularization strategies. It also looks at how migrants, refugees and stateless people are faring in work, education, social protection and local governance.
Davide Torzilli, the representative in Brazil of UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, said public data help governments respond to forced displacement and statelessness. He described Brazil’s new national policy as unusual internationally and said the country has emphasized human rights, international cooperation and shared responsibility.
Work and Income
Formal employment among migrant workers in Brazil rose 54% from 2023 to 2025, according to the OBMigra report. The number of immigrants with formal labor contracts exceeded 414,960 in 2025.
About 43% of those formal jobs were concentrated in industrial production, especially animal slaughtering in southern Brazil. Requests for residence permits tied to work rose 68% from 2022 to 2024, which the Justice Ministry attributed to stronger demand for migrant labor in a tight labor market.
Venezuelans made up the largest group in formal employment, with more than 201,000 workers in 2025. Haitians followed, rising 20.4% between 2023 and 2025 to 51,200 formal workers. Cubans ranked third, with 30,700.
The report also points to underemployment. Many immigrants with university degrees work in low-skilled, low-paid jobs because of inconsistent legal status or barriers to recognizing qualifications. Among migrant domestic workers, informality remained high: in 2024, 78.8% had no formal contract, compared with 21.2% who did.
Social Protection and Geography
The number of migrants registered in CadÚnico, Brazil’s federal registry for low-income families seeking social programs, rose from 562,687 in 2023 to 650,683 in 2024. Women made up 55.6% of registered migrants in 2024.
Children and teenagers also became a larger part of the registered population. The number of migrants aged 0 to 17 in CadÚnico rose from 159,011 in 2023 to 188,531 in 2024, an 18.6% increase. In 2023, 302,497 registered migrants received Bolsa Família, Brazil’s flagship cash-transfer program, while 260,190 did not.
The registered population is concentrated in a few states. São Paulo had the largest number in 2024, with 140,033 migrant registrations, followed by Paraná with 102,046 and Roraima with 86,845. Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul also stood out as economic destinations and places of settlement.
Education and Local Services
Immigrant enrollment in basic education rose sharply between 2010 and 2024. Across the three stages of basic education, technical secondary education and adult education, the number of immigrant students increased from 41,916 to 224,924, a 437% rise.
In higher education, the number of migrants enrolled rose 77.5%, from 16,696 in 2010 to 29,635 in 2023. The report says schools and universities still face challenges involving language inclusion, teaching adaptation and local institutional capacity.
Although migration policy is federally defined, states and municipalities provide many front-line services, including schools, health clinics and social assistance. The report recommends clearer technical and financial cooperation among Brazil’s three levels of government to make local integration more consistent across the country.