Portuguese Immigration in Brazil: from the first expeditions to the major migratory flows
Portuguese immigration to Brazil is one of the most important migratory movements in the history of the country. For centuries, Portuguese people crossed the Atlantic under different circumstances, first in the colonisation process and, subsequently, in increasingly significant migratory flows.
For anyone researching the history of a Portuguese family in Brazil, understanding these different periods is important: the era in which an ancestor arrived in the country can help to understand where to look for their records and the context in which their migration occurred.
The first Portuguese in Brazil
The Portuguese presence in Brazil began with colonisation, but the population movements of the first few centuries were vastly different from the mass immigration that would occur later on.
According to IBGE1, between 1500 and 1700, no more than 100,000 Portuguese immigrants entered Portuguese America. During this period, many of those who settled in the colony were linked to the economic activities developed by the Portuguese, especially sugar production in regions such as Pernambuco and Bahia.
Portuguese migration was, therefore, directly linked to the formation of colonial society and the occupation of the territory, but it was still far from displaying the characteristics of the major migratory flows of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Portuguese immigration after Independence
Following the Independence of Brazil in 1822, the Portuguese presence remained significant. However, it was above all from the second half of the 19th century onwards that Portuguese immigration gained a new dimension.
The economic and social crisis in Portugal, combined with the employment opportunities available in Brazil, contributed to the growth of this movement. The shared language and historical links between both countries also made Brazil an easier choice of destination.
From the 1870s onwards, the entry of Portuguese people into the country became increasingly substantial. The historical data gathered by IBGE2 shows this growth:
- 1872–1879: 55,027 Portuguese;
- 1880–1889: 104,690;
- 1890–1899: 219,353;
- 1900–1909: 195,586;
- 1910–1919: 318,481;
- 1920–1929: 301,915.
Combined, these periods correspond to approximately 1.2 million entries of Portuguese people into Brazil between 1872 and 1929.
The numbers show how Portuguese immigration became particularly significant between the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century.
Portuguese immigration in the early 20th century
The decade of 1910 was particularly significant; between 1910 and 1919, 318,481 Portuguese entered Brazil. Rio de Janeiro, then the Federal District, became one of the main destinations for this population.
The large Portuguese migratory flow began to lose momentum from the 1930s, reaching minimal percentages during the Second World War.
Among the factors related to this reduction were the international economic crisis of 1929, changes in the economic and demographic situation of Portugal, Brazilian measures to protect the labour market and, subsequently, the Second World War and the disruption of Atlantic travel.
- IBGE. território brasileiro e povoamento»portugueses»imigração restrita (1500-1700). Disponível em: https://brasil500anos.ibge.gov.br/territorio-brasileiro-e-povoamento/portugueses/imigracao-restrita-1500-1700 ↩︎
- PATARRA, Neide Lopes. Movimentos migratórios no Brasil: tempos e espaços. Rio de Janeiro: IBGE, 2003. Disponível em: https://www.ibge.gov.br/biblioteca/visualizacao/livros/liv84115.pdf ↩︎
