Brazil’s population growth sinks to 0.37% in 2026

Brazil’s estimated population reached 214.2 million on July 1 this year, according to a new study by the statistics bureau IBGE. The data highlight that the growth rate is slowing down.

The country’s population grew by 0.37 percent compared to the previous year, marking a decline from the 2024–2025 period, when it stood at 0.39 percent.

Population by region

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41.6 percent live in the Southeast – 89 million people;
26.8 percent in the Northeast – 57.4 million;
14.7 percent in the South – 31.5 million;
8.8 percent in the North – 18.9 million;
8.1 percent in the Central-West – 17.4 million people.

Most populous states

São Paulo accounts for 21.6 percent of Brazil’s population – 46.1 million people;
Minas Gerais, 10 percent – 21.5 million;
Rio de Janeiro, 8.0 percent – 17.2 million.

Conversely, the three least populous states are in the North and have fewer than 1 million inhabitants each – Acre, with 887,800 people (0.41 percent of Brazil’s total population); Amapá, with 809,900 people (0.38%); and Roraima, with 761,000 people (0.36%).

Population by region

41.6 percent live in the Southeast – 89 million people;
26.8 percent in the Northeast – 57.4 million;
14.7 percent in the South – 31.5 million;
8.8 percent in the North – 18.9 million;
8.1 percent in the Midwest – 17.4 million people.

Most populous states

São Paulo accounts for 21.6 percent of Brazil’s population – 46.1 million people;
Minas Gerais, 10 percent – 21.5 million;
Rio de Janeiro, 8.0 percent – 17.2 million.

On the other hand, the three least populous states are in the North and have fewer than 1 million inhabitants each – Acre, with 887,800 people (0.41 percent of Brazil’s total population); Amapá, with 809,900 people (0.38%); and Roraima, with 761,000 people (0.36%).

Growth

The highest population growth rates were recorded in the states of Roraima, Santa Catarina, and Mato Grosso – 3.01 percent, 1.54 percent, and 1.46 percent respectively.

These were also the only states to report rates above one percent. The lowest rates, meanwhile, were observed in the states of Rio de Janeiro (0.01%), Alagoas (0.01%), and Rio Grande do Sul (0%).