State IntegrityReceipts, not verdicts

Mesquita: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
178,780
2026
Population, 2022 census
167,127
2022
Area (km²)
41.2
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
4,059.5
2022

In depth

What is the population of Mesquita?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Mesquita at 178,780 on 1 July 2026, the 177th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 19th largest of the 92 municipalities in Rio de Janeiro state. The 2022 census counted 167,127 residents.

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

Is the population of Mesquita growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Mesquita fell by 1,249, from 168,376 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 167,127, an average of -0.06% a year; the 37th 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 Mesquita changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Mesquita's population 11,653 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+7.0%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 178,830 in 2025 and 178,803 in 2024.

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

How big is Mesquita?

Mesquita covers 41.2 km² and had 4,059.5 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 24th 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 Rio de Janeiro state's population lives in Mesquita?

Mesquita holds 1.0% of the estimated 17,225,410 people in Rio de Janeiro state and 0.08% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Mesquita a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Mesquita (as part of the Rio de Janeiro/RJ urban area) as a national metropolis, level 1B on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Mesquita is part of the Região Metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro.

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

Who runs Mesquita?

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.