Mossoró: population and official figures
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Mossoró: Mossoró's gross domestic product was R$ 10.3 billion in 2023 at current prices, 0.09% of Brazil's GDP and the 170th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities.
- Health in Mossoró: Health ministry records show 170 deaths of babies under one year old among residents of Mossoró in 2020-2024 against 16,584 live births, 10.3 infant deaths per 1,000 births; the 92nd lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 12.2).
- Education in Mossoró: At the 2022 census 98.6% of children aged 6 to 14 in Mossoró were attending school, the 154th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities and the 1726th lowest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities (Brazil: 98.3%; Rio Grande do Norte state: 98.5%).
- Poverty and living standards in Mossoró: At the 2022 census, 34.6% of residents of Mossoró lived in households with an income per person of no more than half the minimum wage (R$ 606 a month), the 95th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities and the 2674th highest of Brazil's 5,509 municipalities (Brazil: 31.8%).
- Government budget and revenue in Mossoró: The city government of Mossoró reported R$ 1.37 billion of budget revenue for 2025 in its annual accounts to the National Treasury, after R$ 85.8 million of deductions, R$ 85.8 million of them for Fundeb, the school funding pool; that is R$ 5,185 per resident, the 114th lowest of 319 major Brazilian cities.
What is the population of Mossoró?
IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Mossoró at 279,100 on 1 July 2026, the 110th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 2nd largest of the 167 municipalities in Rio Grande do Norte state. The 2022 census counted 264,577 residents.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyIs the population of Mossoró growing?
Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Mossoró grew by 4,762, from 259,815 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 264,577, an average of +0.15% a year; the 61st slowest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: +0.52% a year).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyHow has the population of Mossoró changed since the 2022 census?
IBGE's estimates put Mossoró's population 14,523 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+5.5%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 278,587 in 2025 and 278,034 in 2024.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyHow big is Mossoró?
Mossoró covers 2,099.3 km² and had 126.0 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 85th least densely populated of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 23.86 per km²).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyIs Mossoró a metropolis?
IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Mossoró 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 copyMore figures
- Mossoró 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 Mossoró?
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
- São José 301,218
- Foz do Iguaçu 299,112
- Petrópolis 294,954
- Guarujá 294,780
- Marabá 293,344
- Sumaré 292,307
- Cotia 291,704
- Chapecó 289,170
- Imperatriz 286,383
- Taboão da Serra 286,201
- Santa Maria 282,397
- Volta Redonda 280,006
- Gravataí 275,432
- Parnamirim 273,952
- Indaiatuba 271,322
- Rondonópolis 268,202
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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