Brazilian Dating Culture: All You Should Know About Dating In Brazil
Should you get offended if your date is 20 minutes late? Why do Brazilian girls prefer their beers to be small? And how come a proposal is expected two months into a relationship? Find answers to all your questions about dating Brazilian women in this post.
5 interesting facts about dating in Brazil
The dating and marriage culture in Brazil is highly diverse, like in any other state, but based on extensive research, we managed to come up with a few facts you might find intriguing:
- There are more Brazilian women than men. With an average age of 34, there are over 50 million ladies of marrying age in Brazil and only 97 men per every 100 women. So there are around 700,000 Brazilian women more than men, which is good news for foreigners looking to date or marry Brazilian girls.
- There’s no such thing as the average age at first marriage. Although demographic statistics claim women get married at 23.9 on average, there are reports of girls getting married and having children at the young age of 15.
- Online dating is thriving in Brazil. It’s one of the biggest markets for mainstream dating apps. For example, over 10 million Brazilian men and women use Tinder, generating over a million daily matches. And other dating sites are equally popular.
- Dating a Brazilian woman means getting to know her family. It’s perfectly acceptable for young Brazilians to live with their parents until marriage. So in big cities, girls can stay with their families into their late twenties or early thirties, which translates into awkward meetings with their families in the early stages of a relationship.
- Marriage success is not guaranteed despite religious mores. Nearly half of all divorces in Brazil occur within less than 10 years of marriage, while the rest can last over 26 years. Still, the divorce rate is much lower than in the USA: 21% compared to 45%.
Now you know just how dynamic and diverse Brazilian relationship culture can be. It’s exhilarating and somewhat intimidating, but with our tips, you’ll be able to enter the scene and find the Brazilian woman of your dreams.
Where to meet Brazilian women?
Considering the rise of online dating culture in the wake of the pandemic, let’s differentiate between meeting and dating Brazilian singles online and IRL.
💬 💑 Online dating in Brazil
The three most common and effective ways of meeting Brazilian women online include social media, mainstream dating platforms, and international dating sites. Let’s consider your likelihood of finding dates through each of them.
1. Mainstream dating platforms
As we’ve already mentioned, online dating is big in Brazil. With a relatively young population, the country is a thriving market for online dating apps and sites. For example, the top five dating apps make up 0.38% of all app downloads from Google Play and the App Store in Brazil.
The hottest dating apps among locals include Tinder, Badoo, POF, Happn, and JAUMO. But, as you’re probably aware, most of these apps work best within local settings when you come across Brazilian women in real life and get to like or dislike their profiles to get matches. So mainstream dating platforms will be of little use if you’re not willing to invest in a premium account that enables international matches or aren’t planning a trip to Brazil.
2. Social media platforms
Social media is another popular means of meeting new people in Brazil. After all, at the beginning of 2022, over 50% of the local population—116 million Brazilians—had Facebook profiles, and the number was expected to rise steadily. And Instagram is even more popular, with over 119 million users in Brazil, almost 60% of whom (or around 70 million) are women.
Although the dating pool on Facebook and Instagram seems bottomless, dating opportunities have certain limitations. For one, women may impose strict privacy settings only to allow access to friends and family. For another, most would have pages in Portuguese, and you would need an automated translation to read their posts and send messages.
3. International dating platforms
Niche international dating apps have the smallest dating pool but offer the highest chances of success for foreigners to meet relationship-minded Brazilian women. All users of such platforms are seeking partners abroad, including the US. They usually have at least a basic understanding of English, enough to hold conversations. Besides, they are open to long-distance and real-life relationships, from casual flings to marriage.
While there are dozens of Brazilian dating sites, we’ve selected a handful with the largest number of profiles, impressive communication features, and quality security measures. You can learn more about our top choices in the table below.
| Rank | Site | Free Link | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | LatiDate |
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| #2 | LaDate |
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| #3 | GoChatty |
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| #4 | ColombiaLady |
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| #5 | TheLuckyDate |
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🍸💑 Offline dating in Brazil
Considering the locals’ affectionate and passionate nature, Brazilian women dating culture promotes meeting new people and setting dates anywhere. Bars, restaurants, clubs, and coffee shops are the obvious options, but a Brazilian woman will just as likely welcome your attention in a grocery store, laundromat, hair salon, or beach.
Of course, the place you meet the woman may affect her attitude and intentions. For example, the Rio de Janeiro Carnival is the best place to find hot one-night stands or casual flings that don’t last longer than a couple of weeks. But if you meet a Brazilian woman coming out of the church on Sunday, she may be more interested in a serious long-term relationship. Of course, the opposite is also possible, though less likely.
Differences in dating habits between Americans and Brazilians
Although the US and Brazil aren’t that far apart, there are significant differences between the dating traditions and customs of the two countries. Here are the most significant contrasts between Brazilian dating culture vs. American you should be aware of:
- Physical intimacy comes before emotional. Although sex on the first date is not a given, most Brazilian girls do not consider relationships serious or exclusive, even after kissing or having sex. In fact, holding hands in public may be regarded as more intimate than kissing.
- Public displays of affection are ubiquitous. Even if you’re going out with a Brazilian girl, she can hug and kiss half a dozen guys at a party that you attend together until you both agree to be exclusive.
- Serious relationships require a “proposal” or “contract.” The early stages of a relationship are called “ficando” or a “test run” and usually last a few weeks to a couple of months. If you want to take your dating beyond casual flings to the next level (“namorado”), you need to lay out the terms in a type of “proposal.” It used to come with a ring (not an engagement one), though it’s no longer required.
- Monogamous relationships are taken very seriously. Once you enter a serious relationship with a Brazilian woman, she will not tolerate cheating, and if she becomes suspicious or jealous, you can expect to experience her fiery temper. Affairs are not tolerated, especially among religious women.
Dating Brazilian women may differ from going out with American girls, but if you remember these peculiarities, your chances of having a successful relationship will skyrocket.
How to succeed in the Brazilian dating scene as a newcomer?
Now you know where to meet Brazilian women and how they are different from the American girlfriends you’ve had. With that in mind, let’s review a few tricks that will give you a leg up over other foreigners on the dating scene.
- Take the initiative but don’t overdo it. Many women prefer when men are the first to approach them, ask them on a date, and cover the bill. However, they may not appreciate you veering towards machismo, as they get enough of it from Brazilian men.
- Get used to locals being late. It’s part of the laid-back Brazilian culture, though we don’t recommend you being late to your first date.
- Pepper your speech with diminutive forms of words. For example, instead of offering to buy the girl a beer (cerveja), use “a little bit of beer” (cervejinha). Adding this suffix to some words will make your speech sound warmer and more affectionate, and girls will take notice of you sooner.
- Set up the next date explicitly. Brazilians aren’t fond of saying no, so even if the woman isn’t into you, she may respond to your invitation with something like “We’ll see” or “I’ll think about it.” If you wish to see her again, you must set a specific time and location.
If you remember these subtleties of the Brazil dating and marriage culture, you’ll have more luck getting dates and building relationships.
Our editors’ conclusion
Oliver Duncan
Latin Countries Expert
“Brazilian dating culture takes some getting used to, but I believe gorgeous, passionate, and fun-loving Brazilian ladies are well worth the effort. Besides, with our tips and pointers, you’ll have better luck fitting in and getting local women eager to go out with you. In addition, you don’t have to wait for your trip to Brazil to put our advice to good use. Mainstream and niche dating apps and social media are great ways to practice your new skills.”
Our Editorial Team
Written byPhilippe Berry, Contributing Editor and Travel Expert
I've been to 33 countries, and I'm going to expand this list; I was pleased to date more than 100 ladies from other countries while traveling (not bragging; maybe just a little), and I'm pretty experienced in both building relationships and understanding cultures different from my own. I love having fun, exploring new places and cultures, and helping people who are as interested in international relationships as I am.
Edited byOliver Duncan, Author
Oliver Duncan (36 years old) is a dating and relationship expert from New York. Oliver has a Master's degree in Psychology - he graduated from the New York University in 2009. He knows everything about online dating and dating apps - his experience in this field is around 10 years. Oliver met his wife, Marianna, on one of these apps (she is from Colombia). His senior thesis was concerned with the psychology of long-distance/international relationships - he knows how to date Latin women, how to solve relationship problems, and what issues/barriers to expect when dating a woman from South America.
