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Santa Maria: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
282,397
2026
Population, 2022 census
271,735
2022
Area (km²)
1,780.2
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
152.6
2022

In depth

What is the population of Santa Maria?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Santa Maria at 282,397 on 1 July 2026, the 108th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 5th largest of the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul state. The 2022 census counted 271,735 residents.

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

Is the population of Santa Maria growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Santa Maria grew by 10,703, from 261,032 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 271,735, an average of +0.34% a year; the 84th 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 Santa Maria changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Santa Maria's population 10,662 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+3.9%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 282,395 in 2025 and 282,244 in 2024.

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

How big is Santa Maria?

Santa Maria covers 1,780.2 km² and had 152.6 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 89th 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 Sul state's population lives in Santa Maria?

Santa Maria holds 2.5% of the estimated 11,233,317 people in Rio Grande do Sul state and 0.13% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Santa Maria a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Santa Maria (as part of the Santa Maria/RS urban area) 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

Who runs Santa Maria?

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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