62% of Young Brazilians Say They Would Move to Another Country If they Could

06/18/2018 - 11h56

In the blink of an eye, the entire population of the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Paraná would disappear from Brazil. A Datafolha survey shows that some 70 million Brazilians aged 16 or older would leave Brazil if they could.

In the study carried out across the country last month, 43% of Brazilian adults said they would like to move to another country.

Among those between ages 16 and 24, the number reaches 62%. These are 19 million Brazilians who would leave the country, which amounts to the entire population of the state of Minas Gerais.

However, this is not only an intention. The number of visas granted to Brazilian immigrants entering the U.S. – the most sought after destination among those moving out to study – reached 3,366 in 2017, twice the figure in 2008, when the global crisis began.

Requests for Portuguese citizenships also have increased. In the São Paulo consulate alone, 50,000 citizenships have been granted since 2016. In the same period, the number of visas for students, entrepreneurs and retirees who intend to live in Portugal doubled.

The young are not the only ones who want to leave. The majority of those who have a college education (56%) and in classes A and B also would like to leave. It is the case of producer Cássia Andrade, 45, who sold her apartment and is leaving for Canada in August.

"I don't want to become an Uber driver or sell homemade sweets to make a living. I have been working with art for more than 30 years and I am in a fully productive phase. It doesn't make any sense to stay here just because 'I am Brazilian and I never give up.'"

The only reason why Andrade did not close her company is because she intends to continue working with Brazilian projects.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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