The original population of Brazil was composed of Amerindians, separated into relatively small tribes and were living in semi-permanent villages. The life and principal nutriment in these tribes were mainly hunting and fishing. The government Indian Agency, "Fundação Nacional do Indio (FUNAI), has documented 174 different Indian languages and dialects. Customs and belief systems vary widely. At present the number of Indians in Brazil is estimated at less than 200,000. Of the several hundred tribes already identified, most are concentrated in the Amazon region and virtually all Brazilian Indians face a host of problems which threaten to destroy their environment and way of life. An estimated 40 tribes have never been in contact with outsiders.

When the Indians were accepted as unsuited for organized labor at the colonial mines and plantations, the Portuguese settlers began importing black slaves from Africa. At the end of the slave trade in the 1850`s, the flow of European and Middle Eastern immigrants increased with the hope of finding jobs and a better future. In 1910 began also a massive immigration of Japanese, over one million people came to Brazil. The actual composition of different groups of people in Brazil are; White 55,2%, Mulattos 38,2%, Black 6%, Asiatic 0,4%, and Brazilian Indians 0,2%. The expected length of life for men is 65 years and for women 71 years.