IBGE report reveals urbanized areas occupy 0.6% of Brazil

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) has released the fourth edition of its ‘Urbanized Areas of Brazil’ series, based on 2022 data. The report provides a spatial representation of urban phenomena across the country, highlighting the complexity of socio-spatial transformations.

As of 2022, urbanized areas occupied only 0.6% of Brazil's total territory. Five states—São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, and Bahia—accounted for 50.35% of the total urbanized area. São Paulo holds the largest urbanized area in the country at 9,622.28 km², representing 18.9% of the national total, while Amapá has the smallest at 0.36%.

Regionally, the Southeast region showed the largest extent of urbanized areas, followed by the Northeast. Understanding these patterns is essential for managing urban growth, protecting nature, planning urban services, improving public transport, and enhancing disaster safety.