Type of family composition grew 11.1 percentage points from 2000 to 2022 and now represents almost ¼ of Brazilian households
The number of childless couples in Brazil has almost doubled in just over two decades, according to data from the Nuptiality and Family Module of the 2022 Census. (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) released this Wednesday (November 5, 2025). Read the survey (PDF – 780 KB).
From 2000 to 2022, this type of family composition increased from 13% to 24.1% of Brazilian households – almost ¼ of the country’s residences. The category was the one that grew the most in the period. In 22 years, the increase was 13.9 million families.
The opposite movement was recorded in the case of couples with children. The category fell from 56.4% to 42% of the country’s total families. In the comparison between 2000 and 2022, 24.3 million fewer families of this type were registered. It was the first time that couples with children stopped representing more than half of Brazilian families.
The proportion of single women with children grew by 1.9 percentage points in 22 years. In absolute numbers, there were 7.8 million more families in this condition.
The number of single men with children also grew, but to a lesser extent. In 2000, the category represented 1.5% of Brazilian families. In 2022, it reached 2% – an increase of 1.2 million.
WOMEN HEADS OF HOUSEHOLDS
From 2000 to 2022, the percentage of families with female heads grew from 22.2% to 48%, while the proportion of households headed by men fell from 77.8% to 51.2%.
⅓ NEVER MARRIED
The percentage of Brazilians who have never lived in a marital union fell from 38.6% to 30.1% from 2000 to 2022.
The proportion of separated people rose 6.7 percentage points. In 2022, those who did not live but said they had already lived in a conjugal union represented 18.6%.
The share of the population living in a marital union has practically not fluctuated in 22 years. It continued to represent practically half of Brazilians. In 2000, it corresponded to 49.5%. In 2010, at 50.1%, and in 2022, at 51.3%.
TRADITIONAL WEDDINGS FALL
In 2022, 38.9% of Brazilians over 10 years old lived in a consensual union – that is, they had marriages formalized at a registry office but without civil or religious registrations. The modality grew 10.3 percentage points compared to 2000.
The 2nd most popular type of marriage was civil and religious unions. Despite having fallen 11.5 percentage points in 22 years, the category still included 37.9% of the population over 10 years old.
There were still 20.5% who only got married civilly and another 2.6% who only formalized their marriages in the religious sphere.
