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Salvador: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
2,559,945
2026
Population, 2022 census
2,417,678
2022
Area (km²)
693.4
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
3,486.5
2022

In depth

What is the population of Salvador?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Salvador at 2,559,945 on 1 July 2026, the 5th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the largest municipality in Bahia state. The 2022 census counted 2,417,678 residents.

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

Is the population of Salvador growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Salvador fell by 257,978, from 2,675,656 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 2,417,678, an average of -0.84% a year; the 2nd 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 Salvador changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Salvador's population 142,267 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+5.9%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 2,564,204 in 2025 and 2,568,928 in 2024.

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

How big is Salvador?

Salvador covers 693.4 km² and had 3,486.5 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 33rd 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 Bahia state's population lives in Salvador?

Salvador holds 17.2% of the estimated 14,889,472 people in Bahia state and 1.20% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Salvador a metropolis?

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

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

Who runs Salvador?

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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