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Palhoça: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
261,287
2026
Population, 2022 census
222,598
2022
Area (km²)
394.9
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
563.8
2022

In depth

What is the population of Palhoça?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Palhoça at 261,287 on 1 July 2026, the 119th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 7th largest of the 295 municipalities in Santa Catarina state. The 2022 census counted 222,598 residents.

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

Is the population of Palhoça growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Palhoça grew by 85,264, from 137,334 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 222,598, an average of +4.11% a year; the 8th 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 Palhoça changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Palhoça's population 38,689 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+17.4%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 253,469 in 2025 and 245,477 in 2024.

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

How big is Palhoça?

Palhoça covers 394.9 km² and had 563.8 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 126th 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 Santa Catarina state's population lives in Palhoça?

Palhoça holds 3.1% of the estimated 8,312,759 people in Santa Catarina state and 0.12% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Palhoça a metropolis?

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

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

Who runs Palhoça?

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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