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Ilhéus: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
189,259
2026
Population, 2022 census
178,649
2022
Area (km²)
1,588.6
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
112.5
2022

In depth

What is the population of Ilhéus?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Ilhéus at 189,259 on 1 July 2026, the 166th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 8th largest of the 417 municipalities in Bahia state. The 2022 census counted 178,649 residents.

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

Is the population of Ilhéus growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Ilhéus fell by 3,789, from 182,438 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 178,649, an average of -0.17% a year; the 28th 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 Ilhéus changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Ilhéus' population 10,610 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+5.9%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 189,149 in 2025 and 189,028 in 2024.

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

How big is Ilhéus?

Ilhéus covers 1,588.6 km² and had 112.5 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 76th 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 Bahia state's population lives in Ilhéus?

Ilhéus holds 1.3% of the estimated 14,889,472 people in Bahia state and 0.09% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Ilhéus a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Ilhéus as a regional capital, level 2C 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 Ilhéus?

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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