The difference between Hispanic and Latino primarily lies in language and geography:

• Hispanic refers to people who come from or have ancestry in Spanish-speaking countries. This includes Spain and Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, but excludes countries where Spanish is not the primary language, such as Brazil

• Latino (or Latina/Latinx) refers to people from Latin America, which includes countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean, regardless of the language spoken. This means Brazilians, who speak Portuguese, are Latino but not Hispanic. Conversely, someone from Spain is Hispanic but not Latino because Spain is not part of Latin America

In summary:

Term| Refers to| Includes| Excludes
---|---|---|---
Hispanic| People from Spanish-speaking countries| Spain, Spanish-speaking Latin America| Brazil, Portuguese-speaking countries
Latino| People from Latin America (geography)| Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking Latin America (e.g., Brazil)| Spain (Europe)

Both terms describe ethnicity and cultural heritage rather than race, and individuals who identify as Hispanic or Latino can belong to any race

. Thus, a Mexican American can be both Hispanic and Latino, a Brazilian American is Latino but not Hispanic, and a Spaniard is Hispanic but not Latino