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Belém: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
1,396,157
2026
Population, 2022 census
1,303,403
2022
Area (km²)
1,059.5
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
1,230.2
2022

In depth

What is the population of Belém?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Belém at 1,396,157 on 1 July 2026, the 11th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the largest municipality in Pará state. The 2022 census counted 1,303,403 residents.

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

Is the population of Belém growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Belém fell by 89,996, from 1,393,399 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 1,303,403, an average of -0.55% a year; the 11th 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 Belém changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Belém's population 92,754 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+7.1%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 1,397,315 in 2025 and 1,398,531 in 2024.

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

How big is Belém?

Belém covers 1,059.5 km² and had 1,230.2 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 82nd most 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 Pará state's population lives in Belém?

Belém holds 15.9% of the estimated 8,756,324 people in Pará state and 0.65% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Belém a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Belém (as part of the Belém/PA urban area) as a metropolis, level 1C on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Belém is part of the Região Metropolitana de Belém.

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

More figures

Who runs Belém?

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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