Over 40 nations are showing interest in becoming members of BRICS, a bloc originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China in 2009, with South Africa joining a year later.
South Africa’s ambassador, Anil Sooklal, reported that 22 countries have formally expressed interest, while a similar number have informally approached the group.
The idea of expansion was proposed by South Africa in 2018, with discussions beginning more earnestly last year.
BRICS, a body representing 42% of the global population, was created as an alternative to the influence of developed nations in the world’s economic structure.
Despite its considerable population representation, BRICS members possess under 15% of the voting rights at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Recently, the group’s expansion criteria have been under discussion.
Major nations from the Global South and some European countries have shown interest in membership. Despite this widespread interest, consensus on expansion is still uncertain.
While South Africa and China support growth, and Russia is likely to concur, Brazil and India might oppose it due to concerns about dilution of their influence.
These countries might instead support the idea of interested states remaining as observers.
The expansion of BRICS is a topic on the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers.
South Africa, the host of this year’s BRICS summit, plans to invite 69 global leaders, demonstrating its interest in expanding the group’s global influence.