State IntegrityReceipts, not verdicts

Mossoró: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
279,100
2026
Population, 2022 census
264,577
2022
Area (km²)
2,099.3
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
126.0
2022

In depth

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 copy

Is 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 copy

How 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 copy

How 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 copy

What share of Rio Grande do Norte state's population lives in Mossoró?

Mossoró holds 8.1% of the estimated 3,463,737 people in Rio Grande do Norte state and 0.13% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is 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 copy

More figures

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

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.