Rio de Janeiro: population
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 9.5 million people in 2025, by the UN estimate.
Rank among the cities of the country: 2 of 356.
In 1975 it had 5.88 million people.
In 2000 it had 8.42 million people, so it has grown by 13% since then.
For 2050 the UN projects 9.3 million people.
A city here is a dense area of at least 1,500 people per km² with at least 50,000 people, drawn on a population grid by the UN degree of urbanisation. It can differ from the city’s administrative borders and from national statistics. Years from 2026 on are projections.
Largest cities: Brazil
| City | 2025 | 2050, projected |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 18,949,790 | 18,217,300 |
| Rio de Janeiro | 9,500,336 | 9,299,537 |
| Belo Horizonte | 4,162,814 | 4,082,857 |
| Recife | 3,691,196 | 3,702,361 |
| Fortaleza | 3,244,260 | 3,352,472 |
| Salvador | 3,135,157 | 3,036,993 |
| Curitiba | 2,475,352 | 2,437,791 |
| Goiânia | 2,320,596 | 2,590,641 |
| Manaus | 2,277,352 | 2,878,494 |
| Belém | 2,180,454 | 2,386,104 |
Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).