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Sobral: population and official figures

Population (IBGE estimate, 1 July)
217,690
2026
Population, 2022 census
203,023
2022
Area (km²)
2,068.5
2022
People per km² (2022 census)
98.2
2022

In depth

What is the population of Sobral?

IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of Sobral at 217,690 on 1 July 2026, the 151st largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 5th largest of the 184 municipalities in Ceará state. The 2022 census counted 203,023 residents.

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

Is the population of Sobral growing?

Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of Sobral grew by 14,346, from 188,677 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 203,023, an average of +0.61% a year; the 119th 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 Sobral changed since the 2022 census?

IBGE's estimates put Sobral's population 14,667 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+7.2%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 216,519 in 2025 and 215,286 in 2024.

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

How big is Sobral?

Sobral covers 2,068.5 km² and had 98.2 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 69th 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 Ceará state's population lives in Sobral?

Sobral holds 2.3% of the estimated 9,302,211 people in Ceará state and 0.10% of Brazil's 214,211,951 (2026 estimates).

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

Is Sobral a metropolis?

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

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

More figures

Who runs Sobral?

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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