Brazil’s statistics agency released detailed sample data from the 2022 national census on Monday, marking what it described as the end of the census’s regular publication cycle after repeated delays. The files will allow researchers and policymakers to study socioeconomic conditions at a more detailed geographic level.
The release came from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), which conducts the country’s census and produces official statistics. The agency had planned to publish the microdata in December 2025 but postponed the measure until this week, according to single-source reporting by Folha de S.Paulo.
Why the Files Matter
Microdata are the most detailed information collected in the census. They come from questionnaires administered to a selected group of households rather than the full population, and they preserve respondents’ anonymity. The files can support studies of social and economic conditions within individual municipalities.
André Salata, a researcher at the PUCRS Data Social laboratory, said the material was essential for academic work and other IBGE research. He told Folha that the delay forced his team to revise planned reports, affecting both staffing and budgets.
The 2010 census’s microdata had been scheduled for release two years after the population count, in 2012. The 2022 census, however, faced delays before and after data collection.
A Three-Tier System
IBGE President Marcio Pochmann said advances in artificial intelligence and data science created new challenges for releasing the information. The agency feared that insufficient safeguards could allow users to reidentify respondents from apparently anonymous records.
The institute therefore created three levels of access:
- Public consultation, available through the IBGE portal without authentication or prior approval. Geographic detail is limited to Brazil’s states and the Federal District.
- Controlled access, intended for researchers and public officials who need more detailed geographic information. Users must authenticate through gov.br, complete a form, sign a commitment term and accept the terms of use. Data are available down to the census’s “weighting areas.”
- Restricted access, provided in IBGE’s Restricted Data Access Room at its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Researchers must submit a project, undergo an application review and sign a confidentiality agreement. This level provides the complete sample database without subsampling.
Gustavo Junger, IBGE’s research director, said the additional safeguards delayed publication but strengthened the agency’s commitment to statistical confidentiality. He said the release concludes the regular dissemination of the 2022 census, with only special publications remaining.
A Census Delayed
The population count was originally planned for 2020 but moved to 2021 because of pandemic restrictions. It was postponed again after a budget cut during Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, ultimately taking place in 2022 after Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) was asked to intervene over funding.
Fernando Damasco, IBGE’s census operations coordinator, cited the pandemic, rising nonresponse rates in Brazil and abroad, and difficulties hiring temporary workers as major challenges. Pochmann has led the institute since August 2023, after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appointed him.
The agency did not respond to Folha’s emailed questions about the delays and the difficulties encountered during data collection before publication.