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Petrolina: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
422,461
2026
Population, 2022 census
386,791
2022
Area (km²)
4,561.9
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
84.8
2022

In depth

What is the population of Petrolina?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Petrolina at 422,461 on 1 July 2026, the 63rd largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 3rd largest of the 185 municipalities in Pernambuco state. The 2022 census counted 386,791 residents.

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

Is the population of Petrolina growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Petrolina grew by 92,829, from 293,962 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 386,791, an average of +2.31% a year; the 32nd 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 Petrolina changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Petrolina's population 35,670 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+9.2%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 418,444 in 2025 and 414,083 in 2024.

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

How big is Petrolina?

Petrolina covers 4,561.9 km² and had 84.8 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 60th 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 Pernambuco state's population lives in Petrolina?

Petrolina holds 4.4% of the estimated 9,583,176 people in Pernambuco state and 0.20% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Petrolina a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Petrolina (as part of the Petrolina/PE - Juazeiro/BA urban area) as a regional capital, level 2C on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Petrolina is part of the Região Administrativa Integrada de Desenvolvimento do Polo Petrolina/PE e Juazeiro/BA.

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

More figures

Who runs Petrolina?

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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