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São Leopoldo: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
225,738
2026
Population, 2022 census
217,409
2022
Area (km²)
103.0
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
2,110.6
2022

In depth

What is the population of São Leopoldo?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of São Leopoldo at 225,738 on 1 July 2026, the 146th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 9th largest of the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul state. The 2022 census counted 217,409 residents.

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

Is the population of São Leopoldo growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of São Leopoldo grew by 3,322, from 214,087 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 217,409, an average of +0.13% a year; the 56th 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 São Leopoldo changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put São Leopoldo's population 8,329 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+3.8%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 225,737 in 2025 and 225,669 in 2024.

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

How big is São Leopoldo?

São Leopoldo covers 103.0 km² and had 2,110.6 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 56th 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 Rio Grande do Sul state's population lives in São Leopoldo?

São Leopoldo holds 2.0% of the estimated 11,233,317 people in Rio Grande do Sul state and 0.11% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is São Leopoldo a metropolis?

IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks São Leopoldo (as part of the Novo Hamburgo - São Leopoldo/RS urban area) as a metropolis, level 1C on a scale whose top level is 1A, and São Leopoldo is part of the Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre.

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

Who runs São Leopoldo?

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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