Good to know
Good to Know
- Portuguese is the main ethnic/cultural heritage, with legacy communities from Italy and Spain; Jewish communities (both Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions) established in the city.
- Rio's tech scene focuses on social impact and resolving inequality—fintech, education tech, and sustainable solutions are strong verticals.
- Recent migration favors expats and remote workers (digital nomads) over domestic rural migration, which has reversed from the mid-20th century pattern.
- The city is Brazil's second-largest metropolitan area with strong university support (UFRJ) for technical talent development.
Business Tech Presence
- University Support
- UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) ranks among Brazil's top institutions for producing technical talent and research-driven innovation
- Approximate Startups
- 345
- Startup Ecosystem Rank
- 6th in Latin America
- Venture Capital Presence
- Growing concentration of VC firms, including Valor Capital Group and Confrapar with dedicated Rio offices; increasing deal flow as ecosystem matures
- Brazilian Startup Funding 2024
- 10.5 billion USD (Brazilian startups nationally)
Key Sectors
- Fintech (payments, financial services)
- Enterprise software
- EdTech
- Sustainable technology
- AI and data science
- Food tech
- Travel and mobility
Notable Companies
Zoop
- Sector
- Fintech (payments platform)
- Founded
- 2013
Descomplica
- Sector
- EdTech (education platform)
- Founded
- 2011
Hurb
- Sector
- Travel platform
- Funding
- 185 million USD
Fazenda Futuro
- Sector
- Food tech (plant-based meat)
- Funding
- 83.8 million USD
Winnin
- Sector
- AI and data science (media analytics)
New Wave
- Sector
- Sustainable mining technology
- Funding
- 120 million USD
Major Immigrant Nationalities
Portuguese
- Historical Significance
- Largest and most established immigrant community; more than half of current foreign-born population
Italian
- Historical Significance
- Major immigrant group from late 19th–early 20th century; accounts for approximately 6% of foreign-born
Spanish
- Historical Significance
- Established European immigrant community; accounts for approximately 6% of foreign-born
German
- Historical Significance
- Smaller historic immigrant group; Jewish communities from Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions established in city
City Population
- Value
- 6000000
- Note
- City municipality; metropolitan area approximately 13.1 million (2025 estimate)
Note Foreign Born
Share of population born abroad, primarily from Portuguese-speaking countries and historical European communities
Migration Patterns
- Growth Rate Annual
- 0.72% (modest compared to 20th-century peaks)
- Current Trend
- Net outflows to São Paulo and overseas; offset by expats attracted to lifestyle; domestic rural migration has largely ceased
Foreign Born Percentage
7
Racial Ethnic Composition 2022 Census
- Asian
- under 0.2
- Black
- 15.6
- White
- 45.4
- Indigenous
- under 0.1
- Pardo Mixed Race
- 38.7
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Rio de Janeiro
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.