Sociodemographic characteristics of indigenous population according to the 2000 and 2010 Brazilian demographic censuses: a comparative approach

The sociodemographic profiles of different segments of the Brazilian population have been the object of multiple inter-census comparisons. This study compared the age distribution, number of household residents, formal schooling, and income of indigenous persons according to the population censuses of 2000 and 2010. There was an important decrease in the number of residents per occupied household, and slight aging of the indigenous population, except in the urban North. Meanwhile, there was a proportional increase in individuals with per capita household income up to one minimum wage, along with a reduction in the income bracket of more than two minimum wages in the country's five major geographic regions, in both urban and rural areas. Although schooling also increased, the increments differed according to geographic region and urban versus rural area; the urban Southeast showed larger gains in schooling, while the rural North and Central displayed smaller increases. The study emphasizes the need for more in-depth research focusing on specificities and backing the evaluation and implementation of public policies for the indigenous population.