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Macaé: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
264,583
2026
Population, 2022 census
246,391
2022
Area (km²)
1,217.0
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
202.5
2022

In depth

What is the population of Macaé?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Macaé at 264,583 on 1 July 2026, the 118th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 11th largest of the 92 municipalities in Rio de Janeiro state. The 2022 census counted 246,391 residents.

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

Is the population of Macaé growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Macaé grew by 39,638, from 206,753 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 246,391, an average of +1.47% a year; the 80th 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 Macaé changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Macaé's population 18,192 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+7.4%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 264,439 in 2025 and 264,138 in 2024.

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

How big is Macaé?

Macaé covers 1,217.0 km² and had 202.5 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 108th 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 Rio de Janeiro state's population lives in Macaé?

Macaé holds 1.5% of the estimated 17,225,410 people in Rio de Janeiro state and 0.12% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Macaé a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Macaé (as part of the Macaé - Rio das Ostras/RJ urban area) 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 Macaé?

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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