Migration in Recife/PE (2017–2022)

Recife/PE had a reference population (aged 5 or over in 2022) of 1,408,825 people. In the 2017–2022 five-year period, the municipality received 55,985 in-migrants and lost 128,175 out-migrants to other municipalities in Brazil, resulting in a net migration of −72,190 people (−51.24 per 1,000 population) and a migration effectiveness index (IEM) of −0.392. This classifies the municipality, for the period, as one of migratory depletion. In addition, 735 arrived with an unreported origin and 1,980 came from abroad.

Indicators

Migration indicators for Recife/PE, 2017–2022
Indicator	Estimate	95% CI	Precision
In-migrants	55,985	52,856 to 59,114	good
Out-migrants	128,175	124,198 to 132,152	good
Net migration	−72,190	−77,250 to −67,130	not classified
Net migration rate, TLM (per 1,000 pop.)	−51.24	-	-
Migration effectiveness index (IEM)	−0.392	-	-

Sample of in-migrants: >=500 observations. Sample of out-migrants: >=500 observations. 95% confidence interval computed as estimate ± 1.96 × standard error.

Top origins and destinations

Top 10 origins of in-migrants to Recife/PE
Origin	People	Precision
Olinda/PE · view pair in the atlas	6,370	good
Jaboatão dos Guararapes/PE · view pair in the atlas	5,665	good
Paulista/PE · view pair in the atlas	2,875	good
São Paulo/SP · view pair in the atlas	2,240	good
Camaragibe/PE · view pair in the atlas	2,030	good
Rio de Janeiro/RJ · view pair in the atlas	1,785	use with caution
João Pessoa/PB · view pair in the atlas	1,265	use with caution
Caruaru/PE · view pair in the atlas	1,200	use with caution
São Lourenço da Mata/PE · view pair in the atlas	940	use with caution
Maceió/AL · view pair in the atlas	870	use with caution

Top 10 destinations of out-migrants from Recife/PE
Destination	People	Precision
Jaboatão dos Guararapes/PE · view pair in the atlas	17,540	good
Paulista/PE · view pair in the atlas	12,455	good
Olinda/PE · view pair in the atlas	7,305	good
Camaragibe/PE · view pair in the atlas	5,065	good
São Paulo/SP · view pair in the atlas	4,260	good
João Pessoa/PB · view pair in the atlas	3,360	good
Caruaru/PE · view pair in the atlas	3,350	good
São Lourenço da Mata/PE · view pair in the atlas	2,650	good
Rio de Janeiro/RJ · view pair in the atlas	2,255	use with caution
Cabo de Santo Agostinho/PE · view pair in the atlas	1,810	good

Profile of migrants and residents

In-migrants (arrivals)

Migrant type
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
First move from municipality of birth	21,175	37.8%	>=500
Return to municipality of birth	18,160	32.4%	>=500
Multi-step migration	16,240	29.0%	>=500
Born abroad, internal migrant	410	0.7%	20-49

Educational attainment (people aged 25 and over)
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
Completed higher education	18,065	47.8%	>=500
Completed high school, incomplete higher education	11,655	30.8%	>=500
No schooling or incomplete elementary	5,385	14.2%	100-499
Completed elementary, incomplete high school	2,720	7.2%	100-499

Household income per capita (in 2022 minimum wages)
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
More than 2 minimum wages	21,505	38.4%	>=500
1 to 2 minimum wages	10,670	19.1%	>=500
½ to 1 minimum wage	9,925	17.7%	100-499
¼ to ½ minimum wage	6,950	12.4%	100-499
Up to ¼ of a minimum wage	6,550	11.7%	100-499
Not applicable (collective dwelling)	380	0.7%	20-49

Age and sex
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
Ages 25–39, female	10,535	18.8%	100-499
Ages 25–39, male	9,815	17.5%	100-499
Ages 15–24, female	6,655	11.9%	100-499
Ages 40–59, female	6,530	11.7%	100-499
Ages 40–59, male	5,670	10.1%	100-499
Ages 15–24, male	5,150	9.2%	100-499
Ages 60 and over, female	3,330	5.9%	100-499
Ages 5–14, female	3,205	5.7%	100-499
Ages 5–14, male	3,150	5.6%	100-499
Ages 60 and over, male	1,935	3.5%	50-99

Out-migrants (departures)

Migrant type
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
First move from municipality of birth	78,990	61.6%	>=500
Multi-step migration	33,335	26.0%	>=500
Return to municipality of birth	15,525	12.1%	>=500
Born abroad, internal migrant	320	0.2%	20-49

Educational attainment (people aged 25 and over)
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
Completed high school, incomplete higher education	33,435	37.1%	>=500
Completed higher education	32,800	36.4%	>=500
No schooling or incomplete elementary	15,245	16.9%	>=500
Completed elementary, incomplete high school	8,655	9.6%	>=500

Household income per capita (in 2022 minimum wages)
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
More than 2 minimum wages	35,670	27.8%	>=500
½ to 1 minimum wage	29,040	22.7%	>=500
1 to 2 minimum wages	26,720	20.8%	>=500
¼ to ½ minimum wage	20,925	16.3%	>=500
Up to ¼ of a minimum wage	14,015	10.9%	>=500
Not applicable (collective dwelling)	1,805	1.4%	100-499

Age and sex
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
Ages 25–39, female	23,475	18.3%	>=500
Ages 25–39, male	22,490	17.5%	>=500
Ages 40–59, female	16,365	12.8%	>=500
Ages 40–59, male	15,870	12.4%	>=500
Ages 15–24, female	10,020	7.8%	>=500
Ages 15–24, male	9,515	7.4%	>=500
Ages 5–14, male	9,345	7.3%	>=500
Ages 5–14, female	9,160	7.1%	>=500
Ages 60 and over, female	6,950	5.4%	>=500
Ages 60 and over, male	4,985	3.9%	100-499

Non-migrant residents

Educational attainment (people aged 25 and over)
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
Completed high school, incomplete higher education	347,715	35.4%	>=500
Completed higher education	273,500	27.9%	>=500
No schooling or incomplete elementary	247,130	25.2%	>=500
Completed elementary, incomplete high school	112,785	11.5%	>=500

Household income per capita (in 2022 minimum wages)
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
½ to 1 minimum wage	362,940	25.4%	>=500
More than 2 minimum wages	329,490	23.0%	>=500
¼ to ½ minimum wage	283,135	19.8%	>=500
1 to 2 minimum wages	230,695	16.1%	>=500
Up to ¼ of a minimum wage	216,520	15.1%	>=500
Not applicable (collective dwelling)	7,445	0.5%	100-499

Age and sex
Category	Estimate	Share	Sample
Ages 40–59, female	225,145	16.7%	>=500
Ages 40–59, male	181,310	13.4%	>=500
Ages 25–39, female	167,625	12.4%	>=500
Ages 60 and over, female	159,970	11.8%	>=500
Ages 25–39, male	149,195	11.1%	>=500
Ages 60 and over, male	97,490	7.2%	>=500
Ages 15–24, male	96,895	7.2%	>=500
Ages 15–24, female	95,145	7.0%	>=500
Ages 5–14, male	90,435	6.7%	>=500
Ages 5–14, female	86,080	6.4%	>=500
Ages 25–39, sex undetermined	315	0.0%	5-19
Ages 5–14, sex undetermined	285	0.0%	5-19
Other / suppressed	240	0.0%	5-19

Commuting (work and study)

Commuting indicators for Recife/PE
Employed persons (aged 10 and over)	663,785
Commute out to work in another municipality	40,245
Commute in from another municipality to work here	228,400
Net commuting	+188,160
Out-commuting rate (%)	6.06
Commuting attraction index	1.246
Median commuting time	60 min

This municipality is part of Região Metropolitana de Recife → see the metropolitan region page

Open Recife/PE in the interactive atlas →

Methodological note

Estimates from the sample microdata of the 2022 Demographic Census (IBGE, controlled access), fixed-date migration question (residence on July 31, 2017 compared with residence on July 31, 2022). Every estimate is rounded to multiples of 5 and has passed statistical disclosure control (no cell with fewer than 5 people or 3 sampled households). See the full methodology and the glossary.

How to cite this page

Daniel Pessini Sobreira. Atlas da migração interna no Brasil [Atlas of internal migration in Brazil]: Recife/PE. Data from the 2022 Demographic Census (IBGE). Data version: 2026-10-01. Available at: https://atlas-da-migracao.github.io/en/municipio/recife-pe-2611606/. Dataset DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22469791.