Montes Claros: population and official figures
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Montes Claros: Montes Claros' gross domestic product was R$ 13.3 billion in 2023 at current prices, 0.12% of Brazil's GDP and the 133rd largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities.
- Health in Montes Claros: Health ministry records show 292 deaths of babies under one year old among residents of Montes Claros in 2020-2024 against 28,141 live births, 10.4 infant deaths per 1,000 births; the 101st lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 12.2).
- Education in Montes Claros: At the 2022 census 99.0% of children aged 6 to 14 in Montes Claros were attending school, the 57th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities and the 2706th lowest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities (Brazil: 98.3%; Minas Gerais state: 98.8%).
- Poverty and living standards in Montes Claros: At the 2022 census, 30.2% of residents of Montes Claros lived in households with an income per person of no more than half the minimum wage (R$ 606 a month), the 116th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities and the 2509th lowest of Brazil's 5,509 municipalities (Brazil: 31.8%).
- Government budget and revenue in Montes Claros: The city government of Montes Claros reported R$ 2.15 billion of budget revenue for 2025 in its annual accounts to the National Treasury, after R$ 124.8 million of deductions, R$ 102.0 million of them for Fundeb, the school funding pool; that is R$ 4,916 per resident, the 88th lowest of 319 major Brazilian cities.
What is the population of Montes Claros?
IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Montes Claros at 440,700 on 1 July 2026, the 57th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 5th largest of the 853 municipalities in Minas Gerais state. The 2022 census counted 414,240 residents.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyIs the population of Montes Claros growing?
Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Montes Claros grew by 52,092, from 362,148 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 414,240, an average of +1.13% a year; the 120th fastest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: +0.52% a year).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyHow has the population of Montes Claros changed since the 2022 census?
IBGE's estimates put Montes Claros' population 26,460 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+6.4%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 437,601 in 2025 and 434,321 in 2024.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyHow big is Montes Claros?
Montes Claros covers 3,589.8 km² and had 115.4 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 79th least densely populated of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 23.86 per km²).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyIs Montes Claros a metropolis?
IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Montes Claros as a regional capital, level 2B 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 copyMore figures
- Montes Claros lies within the official semi-arid region, as classified by IBGE in its municipal GDP database. Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy
Who runs Montes Claros?
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
- Niterói 516,820
- Ananindeua 510,563
- Vila Velha 510,512
- São José do Rio Preto 506,466
- Boa Vista 500,965
- Macapá 491,987
- Caxias do Sul 479,604
- Mogi das Cruzes 472,255
- São João de Meriti 466,487
- Jundiaí 465,277
- Campina Grande 446,720
- Piracicaba 442,635
- Betim 433,902
- Maringá 432,635
- Santos 429,528
- Mauá 429,064
Up a level: all cities in Brazil · Brazil · government and power
Sources
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Estatísticas do Cadastro Central de Empresas (CEMPRE) 2022-2024: local units, companies and organisations, employed persons, salaried employees, wages and average monthly salary (SIDRA table 9509; Brazil, states and the 320 listed municipalities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6512e29fcaa1…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: resident population, area of the territorial unit and population density, Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 4714), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6d558ffe6763…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: resident population, absolute change from the 2010 population (adjusted to 2022 boundaries) and geometric annual growth rate (SIDRA table 4709), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5459a5d6df45…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Produto Interno Bruto dos Municípios, database 2010-2023 (text format, with layout): GDP, GDP per person and gross value added by sector for every municipality, with IBGE urban hierarchy, metropolitan region, Legal Amazon and semi-arid classifications, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1179047b0bcc…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Estimativas da População: estimated resident population on 1 July, 2021 and 2024-2026, Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 6579), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8bc8863bc78a…)
- Ministry of Health, DATASUS (Departamento de Informação e Informática do SUS): TabNet, Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos (SINASC): live births by mother's municipality of residence and year, 2020-2024 (final data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d3eb8c12756b…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: residents of permanent private households by class of monthly household income per person in minimum wages, Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 10296; API response in codes-only format), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4896427475f0…)
- Ministry of Health, DATASUS (Departamento de Informação e Informática do SUS): TabNet, Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM): infant deaths (under 1 year) by municipality of residence and year, 2020-2024 (final data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9c69e0471200…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025, primary school late years (6th-9th grade): pass rates, Saeb scores and Ideb 2005-2025 by municipality and school network (spreadsheet from the zip download), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0a54ddd30107…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025, primary school early years (1st-5th grade): pass rates, Saeb scores and Ideb 2005-2025 by municipality and school network (spreadsheet from the zip download), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e132cd0ab831…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: mean and median monthly household income per person of residents of permanent private households, Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 10295), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 34331c7982e4…)
- Ministry of Health, DATASUS (Departamento de Informação e Informática do SUS): TabNet, SINASC: live births by mother's municipality of residence and number of prenatal appointments, 2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9206d88e6676…)
- Secretaria do Tesouro Nacional (National Treasury), SICONFI: SICONFI API, Declaração de Contas Anuais (DCA) Annex I-C, budget revenue realised, 2025 (2024 where 2025 was not filed), for the 320 listed municipalities (gzip of request URL -> exact API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8e46cf2e4cc4…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022, Agregados por Municípios: household characteristics part 3, residents of occupied permanent private households by sewage destination, water source and rubbish disposal, every municipality, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1b96b1e32794…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: gross school attendance rate by age group (0-3, 4-5, 6-14 and 15-17), Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 10056), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4966e323affd…)
- Secretaria do Tesouro Nacional (National Treasury), SICONFI: SICONFI API, Declaração de Contas Anuais (DCA) Annex I-E, budget spending by function, 2025 (2024 where 2025 was not filed), for the 320 listed municipalities (gzip of request URL -> exact API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2d3d576cb339…)
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