• Highlights

• The country's population is estimated at 213.4 million in 2025, an increase of 0.39% compared to last year. The data's reference date is July 1, 2025.
• The survey also shows the population of Boa Esperança do Norte (MT), a new municipality created in 2025, which has 5,877 residents.
• The 27 state capitals are home to 49.3 million inhabitants, equivalent to almost a quarter (23.1%) of the total population.
• Fifteen municipalities with more than one million residents are home to 42.8 million persons, or 20.1% of the total population. On this list, only Guarulhos and Campinas, both in the state of São Paulo, are not state capitals.
• The population growth of the capitals with more than one million inhabitants was below 1%, with the exception of Manaus (AM), which grew 1.05%. International migration of Venezuelans contributed to Boa Vista (RR) being the capital with the highest population growth rate from 2024 to 2025, with a population gain of 3.26%.
• Other significant increases among capitals were in Florianópolis (SC), 1.93%; Palmas (TO), 1.51%; and Cuiabá (MT), 1.31%.
• Of the 5,571 municipalities, 2,079 (37.3%) decreased their population, 3,011 (54%) grew from zero to 0.9%, and only 2.2% (122 municipalities) saw population growth equal to or greater than 2%.
• Almost half (45.8%) of municipalities with up to 20,000 residents decreased their population, the highest proportion among the municipal size categories. Those with populations between 100,000 and 500,000 persons had the highest proportion (19.0%) of municipalities with growth above 1%.
• The Central-West Region has the highest proportion (26.5%) of municipalities with population growth above 1%. The South and Northeast regions have the highest percentages of municipalities with population declines, 41.6% and 39.2%, respectively.
• The five least populous municipalities are Serra da Saudade (MG) with 856 residents, Anhanguera (GO) with 913 residents, Borá (SP) with 932 residents, Araguainha (MT) with 997 residents, and Nova Castilho (SP) with an estimated population of 1,072.

According to the Population Estimates, released today (28) by the IBGE, the Brazilian population reached 213.4 million inhabitants in 2025. This result represents a growth of 0.39% over last year. The survey also unveils the population of all the Brazilian municipalities, which now add up to 5,571 with the creation of Boa Esperança do Norte (MT) and also including the Federal District and the district of Fernando de Noronha. The new municipality has 5,877 inhabitants.

The survey´s data are used by the Federal Court of Audit (TCU) to calculate the State and Municipal Participation Fund and are key to economic and sociodemographic indicators in inter-census periods. The survey also takes into account changes in the territorial borders occurred after the 2022 Census. The data have July 1, 2025 as the reference date.

According to Marcio Minamiguchi, IBGE´s manager of Studies and Analyses of Population Dynamics, the growth trend of the population is diminishing. "The results show a slowdown, which was already indicated by the 2022 Census and the Population Projections, both of them conducted by the IBGE," says him.

The Population Estimates show that 27 state capitals concentrated 49.3 million inhabitants in 2025, nearly one quarter (23.1%) of the entire Brazilian population. Except for Manaus (AM), which grew 1.05%, the population growth of the capitals with more than one million inhabitants stood below 1%.

Salvador (BA), Belo Horizonte (MG), Belém (PA), Porto Alegre (RS) and Natal (RN) were the five capitals with loss in the population compared to 2024, respectively, -0.18%, -0.02%, -0.09%, -0.04%and -0.14%.

"In general, larger, central municipalities have more conurbated surroundings and lose population to them. Growth goes from the center to the periphery. Except for Salvador, capitals that lost population increased the number of inhabitants in the respective metropolitan area," clarifies Minamiguchi.

On the other hand, Boa Vista (RR) is the capital with the highest growth rate between 2024 and 2025, with a population gain of 3.26%. “The rise in Boa Vista is explained by international migration, especially the arrival of Venezuelans,” explains Minamiguchi.

Other more expressive ups were in Florianópolis (SC), 1.93%, Palmas (TO), 1.51% and Cuiabá (MT), 1.31%. “Santa Catarina also receives Venezuelan and Haitian immigrants, which may explain this rise, but we also must consider the effect of domestic migration to Florianópolis. The growth in Cuiabá is explained by domestic migration as well. Palmas had a much more significant growth in past decades, but the data show that this movement has cooled,” says the IBGE manager.

The metropolitan area of São Paulo remains the most populous, with 21.6 million inhabitants, followed by the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro (12.9 million inhabitants), metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte (6.0 million inhabitants), and integrated development area (RIDE) of the Federal District and surroundings (4.8 million inhabitants).

Among the metropolitan areas and RIDEs with more than one million inhabitants, the highest growth rate compared to 2024 was observed in the metropolitan area of Florianópolis, with 2.24%. Salvador (0.01%) was the only one of these metropolitan areas with population reduction compared to the year 2024.

Only 122 municipalities have population increase equal to or above 2%

Of the 5,571 municipalities, 2,079 (37.3%) showed a population decrease, 3,011 (54%), a growth between zero and 0.9% and only 2.2% (122 municipalities), a rise equal to or above 2%. The Major Regions show significant differences as well. While the Central-West has the highest proportion (26.5%0 of municipalities with growth rates above 1%, the South and the Northeast concentrate the highest percentage of municipalities with a dropping population, 41.6% and 39.2%, respectively.

Nearly half (45.8%) of the municipalities with up to 20 thousand inhabitants reduced their population, the highest proportion among the groups of municipality size. On the other hand, those with a population between 100 thousand and 500 thousand people had the highest proportion of municipalities (19.0%) with a growth above 1%.

Fifteen municipalities concentrate one fifth (20.1%) of the Brazilian inhabitants

The survey also shows that of the 15 municipalities with more than one million people, 13 are state capitals. Those localities concentrate 42.8 million people or 20.1% of the entire Brazilian population. São Paulo remains the most populous municipality, with 11.9 million inhabitants, followed by Rio de Janeiro (6.7 million inhabitants) and Brasília (3 million inhabitants).

Guarulhos and Campinas, both of them in the state of São Paulo, are the only municipalities that are not state capitals on this list, with 1.3 million and 1.2 million inhabitants, respectively. They are the most populous among 26 municipalities with more than 500 thousand inhabitants that are not capitals. São Gonçalo (RJ) is the third one, with 960.2 thousand people, followed by Duque de Caxias (RJ), with 866.2 thousand, and Nova Iguaçu (RJ), with 843.2 thousand residents.

Among the less populous municipalities, the five smallest ones are Serra da Saudade (MG) with 856 inhabitants, Anhanguera (GO) with 913 people, Borá (SP) with 932 residents, Araguainha (MT) with 997 inhabitants, and Nova Castilho (SP), with an estimated population of 1,072.