The number of Brazilians living abroad reached almost 5,3 million in 2025, a new historical record, according to a report on consular actions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty). The United States remains the main destination, with 2.067.225 citizens, even in the face of the tougher immigration policy of the Donald Trump administration.
Portugal comes in second place. with 628 thousand BraziliansBrazil is ahead of Paraguay (270) and Japan (210.213). The Itamaraty ranking also considers those with dual nationality and those in the process of regularizing their documentation.
Where are the Brazilians?
After the first four, the list continues with Spain (196.990), the United Kingdom (190), Germany (187.090) and Italy (159.200)Canada (151) and France (95) complete the top ten largest communities.
Portugal's figures are noteworthy for exceeding the data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). In December of last year, The Portuguese institute counted 574.195 Brazilians.The difference arises because the INE (National Institute of Statistics) only registers those who are in a regular situation, and treats as nationals those Brazilians who already have Portuguese citizenship.
The Supreme Court reaffirmed: citizenship is born with the person.
- New legal front opened
- Processes can still be filed.
- Individual assessment before any decision.
Weight in the Portuguese economy
Brazilian diplomacy projects slower growth of the community in Portugal in the coming years, due to the new immigration rules of Luís Montenegro's government. Even so, the current impact is significant.
Brazilian workers represent almost 10% of Portuguese Social Security contributors and injected €1,4 billion into the pension system last year. In the first quarter of 2026, Brazilian investments in the country's productive sector totaled €4,5 billion, the highest volume since the beginning of 2021. Brazilians already have more resources invested in real estate in Portugal than in the United States.
Consulates reinforced
To serve the larger population, the Brazilian government expanded the consular infrastructure. The largest jurisdictions are in New York (500), Boston (440), Miami (400), and Lisbon (370).
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty) also extended services previously restricted to Brazil. Lisbon was the first city to issue the new national identity card, followed by Asunción, Paraguay. Since June 1st, the price of issuing passports abroad has been halved. At the Lisbon consulate, an average of nine passports are issued per hour.
