State IntegrityReceipts, not verdicts

Itajaí: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
302,247
2026
Population, 2022 census
264,054
2022
Area (km²)
289.2
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
913.0
2022

In depth

What is the population of Itajaí?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Itajaí at 302,247 on 1 July 2026, the 96th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 4th largest of the 295 municipalities in Santa Catarina state. The 2022 census counted 264,054 residents.

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

Is the population of Itajaí growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Itajaí grew by 80,681, from 183,373 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 264,054, an average of +3.09% a year; the 14th 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 Itajaí changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Itajaí's population 38,193 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+14.5%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 294,850 in 2025 and 287,289 in 2024.

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

How big is Itajaí?

Itajaí covers 289.2 km² and had 913.0 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 101st 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 Santa Catarina state's population lives in Itajaí?

Itajaí holds 3.6% of the estimated 8,312,759 people in Santa Catarina state and 0.14% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Itajaí a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Itajaí (as part of the Itajaí - Balneário Camboriú/SC urban area) as a regional capital, level 2B on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Itajaí is part of the Região Metropolitana da Foz do Rio Itajaí.

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

Who runs Itajaí?

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

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.