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Canoas: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
359,845
2026
Population, 2022 census
347,657
2022
Area (km²)
130.8
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
2,658.2
2022

In depth

What is the population of Canoas?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Canoas at 359,845 on 1 July 2026, the 81st largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 3rd largest of the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul state. The 2022 census counted 347,657 residents.

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

Is the population of Canoas growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Canoas grew by 23,830, from 323,827 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 347,657, an average of +0.59% a year; the 114th 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 Canoas changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Canoas' population 12,188 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+3.5%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 359,840 in 2025 and 359,554 in 2024.

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

How big is Canoas?

Canoas covers 130.8 km² and had 2,658.2 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 45th 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 Rio Grande do Sul state's population lives in Canoas?

Canoas holds 3.2% of the estimated 11,233,317 people in Rio Grande do Sul state and 0.17% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Canoas a metropolis?

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

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

Who runs Canoas?

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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