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Lages: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
173,278
2026
Population, 2022 census
164,981
2022
Area (km²)
2,637.7
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
62.5
2022

In depth

What is the population of Lages?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Lages at 173,278 on 1 July 2026, the 181st largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 10th largest of the 295 municipalities in Santa Catarina state. The 2022 census counted 164,981 residents.

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

Is the population of Lages growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Lages grew by 8,254, from 156,727 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 164,981, an average of +0.43% a year; the 96th 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 Lages changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Lages' population 8,297 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+5.0%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 172,458 in 2025 and 171,609 in 2024.

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

How big is Lages?

Lages covers 2,637.7 km² and had 62.5 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 47th 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 Santa Catarina state's population lives in Lages?

Lages holds 2.1% of the estimated 8,312,759 people in Santa Catarina state and 0.08% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Lages a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Lages as a regional capital, level 2C on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Lages is part of the Região Metropolitana de Lages.

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

Who runs Lages?

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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