How many Brazilians have Portuguese ancestors?

There are no definitive statistics on exactly how many Brazilians have Portuguese ancestry today. However, here is some context on the historical Portuguese influence in Brazil’s genetic makeup:

• Portugal colonized Brazil starting in the 1500s, establishing settlements that grew into cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Salvador.
• Over the centuries of Portuguese colonial rule, waves of Portuguese settlers migrated to Brazil. In the early colonial period, Portuguese men also frequently had children with indigenous women.
• Slavery brought over millions of Africans to Brazil during the colonial era. This contributed to the racially mixed or “parda” majority demographic category in modern Brazil.
• After independence in 1822, Portuguese immigration to Brazil continued in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numbering over 1 million new arrivals.
• Given these historical flows, most Brazilians likely have at least some degree of Portuguese ancestry from colonial-era migration mixing with indigenous and African populations.
• However, intermarriage and racial mixing over generations make it difficult to quantify exact proportions today. Regional background also influences prevalence of Portuguese ancestry.
• For example, Southeast Brazil received more direct Portuguese immigration historically. Northern and Northeastern Brazil have stronger indigenous and African roots.

So in summary, Portuguese ancestry forms a widespread but variable component of modern Brazilian genetic identity due to historical mixing of European, indigenous American and African peoples since colonization.