Adolescent health in Brazil: Demographic transition, regional inequalities, and implications for the public policy agenda

Abstract

Although adolescents play a strategic role in national development and Brazil has established normative and programmatic frameworks for comprehensive adolescent care, Brazil has yet to make adolescent health a core organizing priority in public health policy, even as major changes reshape the population age structure. This study aimed to describe and analyze changes in the
age structure of the Brazilian population, with particular emphasis on adolescents, from 1980 to 2022. We conducted a descriptive quantitative study using data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) Demographic Censuses of 1980, 1991, 2000, 2010, and 2022. We calculated the proportion of adolescents, the adolescent-to-child ratio, and the youth dependency
ratio for Brazil and its Federative Units. The proportion of adolescents in the total population fell markedly, from 23.4% in 1980 to 13.8% in 2022, while both youth and child dependency ratios declined. The adolescent-to-child ratio increased and exceeded 1 in several states, reflecting the demographic transition. Substantial regional differences persist, and the North and Northeast account
for higher proportions of adolescents. These demographic changes underscore the need for public policies that specifically address adolescents, particularly amid regional inequalities.