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Barbacena: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
129,757
2026
Population, 2022 census
125,317
2022
Area (km²)
759.2
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
165.1
2022

In depth

What is the population of Barbacena?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Barbacena at 129,757 on 1 July 2026, the 249th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 23rd largest of the 853 municipalities in Minas Gerais state. The 2022 census counted 125,317 residents.

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

Is the population of Barbacena growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Barbacena fell by 967, from 126,284 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 125,317, an average of -0.06% a year; the 36th slowest 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 Barbacena changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Barbacena's population 4,440 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+3.5%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 129,695 in 2025 and 129,630 in 2024.

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

How big is Barbacena?

Barbacena covers 759.2 km² and had 165.1 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 91st 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 Minas Gerais state's population lives in Barbacena?

Barbacena holds 0.6% of the estimated 21,460,311 people in Minas Gerais state and 0.06% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Barbacena a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Barbacena (as part of the Barbacena/MG urban area) as a sub-regional centre, level 3A 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

Who runs Barbacena?

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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