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Caxias: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
163,650
2026
Population, 2022 census
156,973
2022
Area (km²)
5,201.9
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
30.2
2022

In depth

What is the population of Caxias?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Caxias at 163,650 on 1 July 2026, the 196th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 5th largest of the 217 municipalities in Maranhão state. The 2022 census counted 156,973 residents.

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

Is the population of Caxias growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Caxias grew by 1,281, from 155,692 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 156,973, an average of +0.07% a year; the 46th 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 Caxias changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Caxias' population 6,677 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+4.3%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 163,546 in 2025 and 163,428 in 2024.

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

How big is Caxias?

Caxias covers 5,201.9 km² and had 30.2 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 26th 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 Caxias?

Caxias holds 2.3% of the estimated 7,024,557 people in Maranhão state and 0.08% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Caxias a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Caxias as a sub-regional centre, level 3A on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Caxias is part of the Região Metropolitana da Zona Leste do Estado do Maranhão.

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

More figures

Who runs Caxias?

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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