Proportion of people identified as transgender and non-binary gender in Brazil

Studies estimate that gender-diverse persons represent 0.1 to 2% of populations investigated, but no such assessment was performed in Latin America. In a representative sample of Brazil's adult population (n=6000), we investigated participants' sociodemographic characteristics and possible associations between these and current gender identity, categorized as cisgender, transgender or non-binary gender. We also investigated transgender individuals' distress associated with gender-related body characteristics. As main results, we found that transgender individuals represented 0.69% (CI95%=0.48-0.90) of the sample, whereas non-binary persons were 1.19% (CI95%=0.92-1.47). These percentages were not different among Brazil's 5 geographic regions. Preliminary analyses showed that transgender individuals were on average younger (32.8 +/- 14.2 years, CI95%=28.5-37.1), compared to cisgender (42.2 +/- 15.9, CI95%=42.5-42.8) and non-binary (42.1 +/- 16.5 years, CI95%=38.3-46.5) groups. Non-binary persons are less likely to be in a relationship compared to cisgender individuals (OR=0.57, CI95%=0.35-0.93). In the transgender group, 85% of transgender men and 50% of transgender women reported distress due to gender-related body characteristics. Our main findings draw attention that gender-diverse Brazilian individuals represent around 2% of the country's adult population (almost 3 million people), and are homogeneously located throughout the country, reiterating the urgency of public health policies for these individuals in the five Brazilian sub-regions.

Automated summary

Studies in Latin America have not assessed the proportion of gender-diverse individuals in the population. A study in Brazil found that transgender individuals make up 0.69% and non-binary individuals make up 1.19% of the adult population. Transgender individuals were younger on average, while non-binary individuals were less likely to be in a relationship compared to cisgender individuals.