BRAZIL · SOCIETY
Key Facts
- The number Brazil has 214,211,951 people on 1 July 2026, the newest official estimate.
- The change That is 790,914 more than a year earlier, or 0.37% growth.
- Biggest places São Paulo state holds 46,179,008 people, 21.6% of Brazil; São Paulo city has 11,911,337.
- The peak Brazil is projected to peak at 220,425,299 people in 2041, then shrink.
- The US angle Brazil is about 62% as populous as the United States, and growth is slowing.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
IBGE, Brazil’s national statistics institute, puts the population at 214,211,951 on 1 July 2026, the newest official figure as of Sunday 1 November 2026. That is 790,914 more people than a year earlier, or 0.37% growth.
The number is a yearly estimate, not a head count, because the last census in 2022 counted 203,080,756 people. In World Bank data for 2024, Brazil is the seventh most populous country in the world and the largest in Latin America.
Brazil Population in 2026 and When It Was Published
IBGE released its 2026 estimate in August, and its files for the national total are dated 25 August 2026. A refreshed list of town and city figures was posted on 30 October 2026 and leaves the national total unchanged.
The estimate covers 1 July 2026 for the whole country, its 26 states and the Federal District. The state figures add up exactly to the national total.
IBGE issues a new estimate each year, so the next one is likely to come around August 2027. The institute has not announced a date.
Why You See 203, 213 and 214 Million for Brazil
The 2022 census counted 203,080,756 people, while IBGE’s estimate for mid-2026 is 214,211,951. The census is a head count from 2022, and the estimate is a model that adds births and deaths since then.
The model also corrects for people the census missed. IBGE’s own series puts the 2022 population at 210,862,983, which is 7,782,227 above the census count.
The World Bank, a global lender, publishes 212,812,405 for 2025, built on United Nations estimates. That is about 0.6 million below IBGE’s 213,421,037 for the same year, and neither number is a head count.
Use 203 million for the people the 2022 census counted and 214 million for the people living in Brazil in 2026. Always check which series and which year a number comes from.
Brazil Population by Region
The Southeast has 89,015,421 people, or 41.6% of Brazil, followed by the Northeast with 57,366,981 (26.8%). The South has 31,498,532 (14.7%), the North 18,929,341 (8.8%) and the Central-West 17,401,676 (8.1%).
By growth, the Central-West leads at 0.94% in a year, ahead of the North at 0.68% and the South at 0.60%. The Southeast and the Northeast each grew about 0.21%.
Brazil Population by State, From São Paulo to Roraima
São Paulo is the largest state, with 46,179,008 people or 21.6% of Brazil. Minas Gerais has 21,460,311 (10.0%) and Rio de Janeiro 17,225,410 (8.0%).
Bahia has 14,889,472 people (7.0%), Paraná 11,952,456 (5.6%) and Rio Grande do Sul 11,233,317 (5.2%). The six largest states hold 57.4% of all Brazilians.
Pernambuco has 9,583,176 people, Ceará 9,302,211, Pará 8,756,324 and Santa Catarina 8,312,759. Goiás has 7,495,033 and Maranhão 7,024,557.
Amazonas has 4,360,926 people, Paraíba 4,182,828 and Espírito Santo 4,150,692. Mato Grosso has 3,950,330 and Rio Grande do Norte 3,463,737.
Piauí has 3,392,617 people and Alagoas 3,221,128. The Federal District, home of the capital Brasília, has 3,009,996.
Mato Grosso do Sul has 2,946,317 people, Sergipe 2,307,255, Rondônia 1,757,338 and Tocantins 1,595,994. The smallest are Acre with 887,794, Amapá with 809,953 and Roraima with 761,012.
Which Brazilian States Are Growing Fastest
Roraima, on the border with Venezuela, grew fastest at 3.01%, adding 22,240 people to reach 761,012. Santa Catarina in the South added the most people, 125,730, a rise of 1.54%.
Farm state Mato Grosso grew 1.46% and Goiás 0.96%, and Amazonas grew 0.91%. At the other end, Rio Grande do Sul added just 54 people, Alagoas 280 and Rio de Janeiro 1,863.
Brazil’s Biggest Cities in the 2026 Estimate
The city of São Paulo has 11,911,337 people, the most of any Brazilian municipality. Rio de Janeiro has 6,731,133, Brasília 3,009,996, Fortaleza 2,582,360 and Salvador 2,559,945.
Belo Horizonte has 2,415,451, Manaus 2,327,101 and Curitiba 1,832,183. These are municipal populations, so they leave out the suburbs that make up the larger metropolitan areas.
Why Brazil’s Population Growth Is Slowing
Brazil’s fertility rate is 1.51 children per woman in 2026, down from 1.58 in 2022. That is well below the 2.1 needed to keep a population steady, and IBGE expects about 1.44 by 2041.
Births fell from 3,572,865 in 2000 to 2,574,542 in 2022, and IBGE projects 2,393,079 births and 1,555,864 deaths in 2026. Natural growth is therefore about 837,000 people.
Deaths overtake births in 2042, which is the arithmetic behind the peak. Our report on Brazil’s sharpest fall in births tracks the drop.
Brazil’s Population Is Getting Older
The median age is 36.1 in 2026, up from 34.4 in 2022, and IBGE projects 42.4 in 2041 and 51.2 in 2070. Life expectancy at birth is 77.0 years in 2026, against 75.4 in 2022.
People aged 65 and older number 25,646,543, or 12.0% of the population, while children aged 0 to 14 number 41,060,882, or 19.2%. The older group is projected to outnumber children from 2036.
The working-age group, aged 15 to 64, peaks in 2035 at 149,594,746 and then shrinks every year. It falls to a projected 113,603,532 in 2070.
The group aged 80 or older grows from 5,184,146 people in 2026 to 7,968,781 in 2035 and 22,689,672 in 2070. That puts growing pressure on pensions and health care, as the share of workers per retiree falls.
Brazil Population Forecast to 2041 and Beyond
IBGE projects that Brazil keeps growing until 2041, when it peaks at 220,425,299 people, and then falls every year. The projection is 218,369,418 for 2050 and 199,228,708 for 2070.
IBGE stops its projections at 2070. By then 31.0% of Brazilians would be 65 or older, against 12.0% today.
What It Means for You
Investors and exporters: 214 million consumers growing 0.37% a year means US sales growth must come from higher incomes and market share. Brazil has about 62% of the population of the United States, which had 340,003,797 people in 2024 in World Bank data.
Location beats the national average. Roraima and Santa Catarina keep growing while Rio Grande do Sul stands still, so a US company’s choice of state matters.
Companies planning ahead: the working-age group stops growing in 2035, so skilled labor is likely to get dearer. Health care, insurance and services for older customers have a growing market, with 5,184,146 Brazilians aged 80 or older in 2026.
Travellers and expats: the biggest cities are São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo state alone holds 21.6% of all Brazilians. See our Rio de Janeiro expat city guide and our São Paulo expat city guide.
Policy watchers: slower growth and an older population push pressure from schools to pensions and health care. Our latest IBGE jobless-rate report shows a labor market that is still tight.
Connected Coverage
Our Brazil news hub carries the daily news, and our guide to Brazil’s population by race and ethnic group covers who Brazilians are. For the capital, read Brasília, Brazil explained.
See also the Brazilian states leading the population decline and The Rio Times Latin America Power Index. Our other country guides cover Mexico, Colombia and Paraguay.
What Is Not Known
The true current total is not known, because the estimate is a model and the World Bank series runs about 0.6 million lower. How much of the 7,782,227 gap between IBGE’s 2022 figure and the census count is coverage correction is also unclear.
How migration will change the path is not known, because the projections assume trends that may not hold. IBGE has not announced the release date of the 2027 estimate.
Age figures for states and cities are not part of the 2026 municipal tables. The age data here are national projections.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people live in Brazil?
IBGE estimates 214,211,951 residents on 1 July 2026, up 790,914 or 0.37% on 2025. The 2022 census counted 203,080,756.
What is the Brazil population in 2026?
The official estimate is 214,211,951 on 1 July 2026. The World Bank, using United Nations estimates, has 212,812,405 for 2025.
Is the Brazil population growing or shrinking?
It is still growing, but slowly, by 790,914 people in the year to July 2026. IBGE projects a peak of 220,425,299 in 2041, followed by a decline.
Which Brazilian state has the most people?
São Paulo, with 46,179,008 people or 21.6% of Brazil. Minas Gerais has 21,460,311 and Rio de Janeiro 17,225,410.
Where does Brazil rank in world population?
Brazil is seventh in World Bank data for 2024, behind India, China, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan and Nigeria. It is the largest country in Latin America.
Sources: IBGE, Population Estimates 2026 (1 July 2026 reference date), 25 August 2026; IBGE, updated municipal estimates 2026, 30 October 2026; IBGE, Population Estimates 2025, 2025; IBGE, Population Projections, 2024 Revision (indicators and age groups), 2024 revision; IBGE SIDRA, table 4714, 2022 Census population, 2022 census; World Bank, Population, total, updated 8 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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