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Balsas: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
106,332
2026
Population, 2022 census
101,767
2022
Area (km²)
13,141.2
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
7.7
2022

In depth

What is the population of Balsas?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Balsas at 106,332 on 1 July 2026, the 321st largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 10th largest of the 217 municipalities in Maranhão state. The 2022 census counted 101,767 residents.

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

Is the population of Balsas growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Balsas grew by 18,239, from 83,528 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 101,767, an average of +1.66% a year; the 62nd fastest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: +0.52% a year).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

How has the population of Balsas changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Balsas' population 4,565 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+4.5%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 105,974 in 2025 and 106,094 in 2024.

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

How big is Balsas?

Balsas covers 13,141.2 km² and had 7.7 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 5th least densely populated of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 23.86 per km²).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

What share of Maranhão state's population lives in Balsas?

Balsas holds 1.5% of the estimated 7,024,557 people in Maranhão state and 0.05% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

Is Balsas a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Balsas as a sub-regional centre, level 3B on a scale whose top level is 1A; it is not part of an officially defined metropolitan region.

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

More figures

Who runs Balsas?

In Brazil, cities and towns are run by municipalities: Mayor (prefeito) and council (câmara de vereadores) directly elected for four years; mayors can serve two terms in a row. Primary schools, basic health care, urban planning, local transport, waste; each has its own organic law.

How local power works in Brazil

Cities of a similar size in Brazil

Up a level: all cities in Brazil · Brazil · government and power

Sources

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