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Maracanaú: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
253,442
2026
Population, 2022 census
234,509
2022
Area (km²)
105.1
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
2,231.9
2022

In depth

What is the population of Maracanaú?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Maracanaú at 253,442 on 1 July 2026, the 124th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 4th largest of the 184 municipalities in Ceará state. The 2022 census counted 234,509 residents.

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

Is the population of Maracanaú growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Maracanaú grew by 25,411, from 209,098 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 234,509, an average of +0.96% a year; the 143rd 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 Maracanaú changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Maracanaú's population 18,933 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+8.1%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 251,613 in 2025 and 249,684 in 2024.

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

How big is Maracanaú?

Maracanaú covers 105.1 km² and had 2,231.9 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 52nd 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 Ceará state's population lives in Maracanaú?

Maracanaú holds 2.7% of the estimated 9,302,211 people in Ceará state and 0.12% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Maracanaú a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Maracanaú (as part of the Fortaleza/CE urban area) as a metropolis, level 1C on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Maracanaú is part of the Região Metropolitana de Fortaleza.

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

Who runs Maracanaú?

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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