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Santos: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
429,528
2026
Population, 2022 census
418,608
2022
Area (km²)
281.0
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
1,489.5
2022

In depth

What is the population of Santos?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Santos at 429,528 on 1 July 2026, the 60th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 14th largest of the 645 municipalities in São Paulo state. The 2022 census counted 418,608 residents.

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

Is the population of Santos growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Santos fell by 792, from 419,400 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 418,608, an average of -0.02% a year; the 39th 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 Santos changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Santos' population 10,920 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+2.6%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 429,547 in 2025 and 429,567 in 2024.

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

How big is Santos?

Santos covers 281.0 km² and had 1,489.5 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 74th 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 São Paulo state's population lives in Santos?

Santos holds 0.9% of the estimated 46,179,008 people in São Paulo state and 0.20% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Santos a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks Santos (as part of the Baixada Santista/SP urban area) as a regional capital, level 2C on a scale whose top level is 1A, and Santos is part of the Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista.

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

Who runs Santos?

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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