Brazil's Municipal Guards Rise to Second Largest Security Force

A new edition of the Raio‑X das Forças de Segurança Pública shows Brazil’s municipal guards (Guardas Municipais) expanding rapidly. Between 2023 and 2025 their active staff grew from 95,175 to 107,457, a 12.8% increase, bringing them to 13.1% of the nation’s total public‑security personnel and making them the second‑largest force after the Polícia Militar, which counted 413,319 agents in 2025.

The study also notes that the Polícia Civil operates at only about 55% of its ideal capacity, with 96,900 officers for a population that would require roughly 0.5 officers per 1,000 inhabitants. Researchers from the Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública attribute the limited growth of state police to fiscal constraints, while highlighting governance gaps in many municipal guard corps, where 43.3% lack internal oversight bodies such as corregedorias or ouvidorias.