BRICS expansion has followed two different tracks: new countries have joined as full members, while a separate partner-country category gives other countries a structured way to participate without making them full members. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates joined on 1 January 2024; Indonesia became a full member on 6 January 2025. The partner category was approved at the 2024 Kazan Summit.
What does BRICS expansion mean?
“BRICS expansion” describes both the addition of full members and the creation of a distinct partner-country status. These are related developments, but they are not interchangeable: an invitation or partner status does not establish that a country has completed accession as a full member.
The group’s official statements present expansion as a way to strengthen cooperation and broaden the representation of emerging markets and developing countries. Those statements express BRICS leaders’ aims; they do not by themselves demonstrate that expansion has increased the group’s influence or produced greater economic integration or agreement.
Which countries joined BRICS as full members?
| Country or countries | Status and date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates | Full members from 1 January 2024 | Central Bank of Brazil |
| Indonesia | Full member from 6 January 2025 | Central Bank of Brazil |
The 2024 accessions followed an agreement at the 2023 Johannesburg Summit on guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures for expansion. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at the time that the invited members’ accession would take effect on 1 January 2024. The South African Presidency’s summit briefing records that announcement.
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What is a BRICS partner country?
At the 2024 Kazan Summit, BRICS leaders approved a partner-country category, setting up a participation track separate from full membership. The 2025 Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration refers to partner countries contributing under agreed modalities, and the Brazilian presidency’s issue note reported nine partner countries in 2025.
A partner country should therefore not be counted as a full member. The available official descriptions establish a separate status and participation modalities, but do not provide a complete comparison of voting rights or entitlements at every meeting. Nor do they establish that every country discussed at Kazan became a partner.
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How did BRICS expansion unfold?
- 2023, Johannesburg: The five members at the time agreed on guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures for expansion. Ramaphosa announced that invited members’ accession would take effect on 1 January 2024. (South African Presidency briefing.)
- 1 January 2024: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates joined as full members, according to the Central Bank of Brazil.
- 2024, Kazan: Leaders approved partner-country status. Official documents describe this as a distinct category governed by agreed participation modalities. (Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration.)
- 6 January 2025: Indonesia became a full member, according to the Central Bank of Brazil.
- 2025: Brazil’s presidency issue note reported nine partner countries; a September ministerial statement reaffirmed the expansion process and partner modalities. (Brazilian presidency issue note; BRICS Joint Media Statement.)
What cooperation does BRICS say expansion supports?
BRICS declarations frame the process around openness, inclusion, consultation and consensus, and say expansion should strengthen the voice of developing countries in global governance. In a September 2025 statement, BRICS foreign ministers described cooperation across three pillars:
- Political and security cooperation
- Economy and finance
- Cultural and people-to-people exchanges
These are the group’s stated principles and areas of work, not evidence of a binding defense alliance or a uniform foreign policy. The official documents cited here do not establish a specific economic result from expansion.
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How many BRICS members are there now?
The official sources cited here establish the accessions and partner-country count through 2025, but do not settle every status change after that snapshot. Because full-member and partner rosters can change, a present-day total should be checked against a current authoritative roster rather than inferred from the 2025 count. The Central Bank of Brazil’s BRICS overview records the 2024 accessions and Indonesia’s 2025 accession.
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