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Caraguatatuba: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
143,291
2026
Population, 2022 census
134,873
2022
Area (km²)
484.9
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
278.1
2022

In depth

What is the population of Caraguatatuba?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Caraguatatuba at 143,291 on 1 July 2026, the 219th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 57th largest of the 645 municipalities in São Paulo state. The 2022 census counted 134,873 residents.

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

Is the population of Caraguatatuba growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Caraguatatuba grew by 34,033, from 100,840 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 134,873, an average of +2.45% a year; the 26th 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 Caraguatatuba changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Caraguatatuba's population 8,418 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+6.2%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 142,248 in 2025 and 141,084 in 2024.

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

How big is Caraguatatuba?

Caraguatatuba covers 484.9 km² and had 278.1 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 133rd 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 São Paulo state's population lives in Caraguatatuba?

Caraguatatuba holds 0.3% of the estimated 46,179,008 people in São Paulo state and 0.07% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Caraguatatuba a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Caraguatatuba (as part of the Caraguatatuba - Ubatuba - São Sebastião/SP urban area) as a sub-regional centre, level 3B on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Caraguatatuba is part of the Região Metropolitana do Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte.

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

Who runs Caraguatatuba?

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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