The emigration of southern Croats from Dalmatia to Brazil begins two centuries ago. Brazil is the third most important destination of overseas emigrants from southern Croatia (Croatas Brasilsäiros). In Brazil today there are about 128,000 immigrants from Croatia, and most live around São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The port of Santos is also a preferred destination. In Croatas Brasiląiros we include people in Brazil with full or partial Croatian origin and persons born in Croatia with residence in Brazil. Croats in Brazil are mostly scattered and do not form larger semi-Croatian communities such as in some Chilean towns.
Migration began around 1830., mainly due to the poor economic situation in the country.
After the Second World War, hundreds of thousands of Croats left their homeland due to the danger of Partizans after Bleiburg because of the Croatian affliction of the Communist winners in 1945. and the abolition of democracy in communist Yugoslavia. They mostly came from the islands of Korčula and Hvar. They were mostly young people without qualifications from rural areas.
