BRICS facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
BRICS

Heads of delegations of the BRICS countries pose at 2025 BRICS Summit, Brazil
Map key      BRICS member countries      BRICS partners      BRICS applicants      Invited to join BRICS
Named after	First five member states' initials in English
Predecessor	2024 BRICS Summit, Russia
Successor	2025 BRICS Summit, Brazil
Formation	16 June 2009; 16 years ago (2009-06-16)
Founded at	Yekaterinburg, Russia (1st BRIC summit)
Type	Intergovernmental organization
Purpose	Political and economical
Fields	International politics
Membership	Brazil  Russia  India  China  South Africa  Egypt  Ethiopia  Indonesia  Iran  United Arab Emirates
Chairman (incumbent)	Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
Formerly called	BRIC

BRICS is a group of ten countries that work together on important global issues. These countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. The name BRICS comes from the first letters of the original five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The idea for a group like BRICS started with Russian foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov in the late 1990s. Later, a British economist named Jim O'Neill used the term "BRIC" in 2001 to describe these fast-growing economies. The first meeting of BRIC leaders happened in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, changing the group's name to BRICS. In 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates became members. Indonesia officially joined in early 2025.

BRICS aims to be an alternative to other powerful groups like the G7, which includes many of the world's richest countries. BRICS has created its own institutions, like the New Development Bank, to help its members. The group also works on many different topics, from trade to technology.

History

How BRICS Started

The idea for countries like Brazil, Russia, India, and China to work together began even before the term "BRIC" was created. Russia's Foreign Minister, Yevgeny Primakov, talked about this idea in 1998. Groups like RIC (Russia, India, China) and IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) also helped pave the way for BRIC.

The name "BRIC" was first used in 2001 by Jim O'Neill, an economist from Goldman Sachs. He used it to talk about countries that were quickly growing their economies. However, O'Neill later felt that the BRICS group didn't achieve its full potential.

The foreign ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, and China started meeting in 2006. Their first big meeting, called a summit, was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on June 16, 2009. The leaders discussed how to improve the global economy and make financial systems fairer, especially during the Great Recession. They also talked about how developing countries could have a bigger say in world matters.

After this first summit, the BRIC nations suggested that the world needed a new, more stable global currency, rather than relying mostly on the US dollar.

South Africa Joins

In 2010, South Africa wanted to join the BRIC group. China invited them, and the other BRIC countries agreed. On December 24, 2010, South Africa officially became a member. The group then changed its name to BRICS, adding the "S" for South Africa. South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, attended his first BRICS summit as a full member in 2011 in Sanya, China.

The New Development Bank, located in Shanghai, China, is a key part of BRICS.

New Development Bank

In 2012, BRICS countries promised to give $75 billion to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help other countries, but only if the IMF changed its voting rules. In March 2013, at a summit in Durban, the BRICS members decided to create their own financial institution. This bank, called the New Development Bank (NDB), would work alongside the IMF and World Bank, which are mostly led by Western countries.

The NDB officially started in 2014. China contributed the most money to the bank, and it is headquartered in Shanghai. By 2024, the bank had approved over $32 billion for 96 projects. In 2021, Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay also joined the NDB.

New Development Bank's logo

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other BRICS leaders at the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, 2023.

Other BRICS Projects

Since 2011, the statistics offices of BRICS countries have worked together to publish yearly data. This helps them compare information and understand each other's economies better.

The BRICS group also planned to build an optical fiber submarine cable system, called the BRICS Cable, to improve communication between their countries. This was partly to avoid spying on their communications. However, this project was stopped in 2015 due to high costs.

In 2019, BRICS communication ministers agreed to work together on technology. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the BRICS summit was held online. They discussed how to handle the pandemic and improve global systems.

BRICS has created many different groups and forums, like the BRICS Business Council and the BRICS Think Tanks Council. These groups help members work together on various topics, from business to culture and health. In 2021, BRICS countries agreed to build a satellite system together to share data from space.

The 2024 BRICS Games in Russia.

A meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in 2022.

Expanding the Group

In August 2023, at the 15th BRICS summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that six more countries were invited to join: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. They were expected to become full members on January 1, 2024.

However, Argentina's new government decided not to join. By January 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates officially became members, increasing BRICS from five to nine countries. Saudi Arabia was still deciding whether to join.

In October 2024, 13 more countries, including Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, and Vietnam, were invited to become "partner countries." This status allows them to work with BRICS on different projects.

On January 6, 2025, Indonesia officially became a full member of BRICS, making it the 11th country to join. This was a big step for the group, as Indonesia is the first Southeast Asian country to be a full member.

Statistics

BRICS+ (including the new members) makes up about 46% of the world's population and 25% of the world's land. The economies of BRICS countries have grown a lot. In 2022, BRICS+ countries produced about 35.6% of the world's total economic output (when measured by purchasing power). Trade between BRICS countries was about $614.8 billion in 2022.

BRICS+ countries have over 1200 satellites in space and account for 40% of all internet users worldwide. They also produce a large share of the world's food, including 42% of wheat, 52% of rice, and 46% of soybeans.

A graph showing the estimated economic share of BRICS and G7 countries from 1990 to 2025.

Brazil, India, and China are among the world's largest countries by population, land area, and economic size. The original five BRICS members are also part of the G20, a group of the world's major economies. Together, the original five BRICS countries had a total economic output of about $28 trillion in 2024.

Experts believe that the total economic size of BRICS+ countries will become larger than the G7 group after 2045.

Rotating BRICS Presidency

BRICS leaders meet once a year, and the host country's leader becomes the "President Pro Tempore" for that year. This means they lead the group's meetings and set priorities. Many other meetings are held throughout the year, involving ministers of foreign affairs, finance, trade, and more.

BRICS does not have a permanent office or a fixed leader. In 2019, Brazil held the presidency and focused on science, technology, and fighting crime. In 2024, Russia was the president and aimed to strengthen economies and cooperate on energy. Brazil is the current President Pro Tempore in 2025.

Leaders' Summits

BRICS has held annual meetings since 2009. The host country changes each year. The first summit with five members (including South Africa) was in 2011. The first summit with nine members (BRICS+) was in 2024 in Russia. Some recent summits were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

No.	Dates	Host country	Host leader	Location	Main Topics
1st	June 16, 2009	Russia	Dmitry Medvedev	Yekaterinburg	Discussed the global economic crisis and future cooperation.
2nd	April 15, 2010	Brazil	Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva	Brasília	Continued talks on global recovery and cooperation. South Africa attended as a guest.
3rd	April 14, 2011	China	Hu Jintao	Sanya	First summit with South Africa as a full member. Discussed global and national economies.
4th	March 29, 2012	India	Manmohan Singh	New Delhi	Focused on how BRICS could grow stronger after the recession.
5th	March 26–27, 2013	South Africa	Jacob Zuma	Durban	Agreed to create the New Development Bank.
6th	July 14–17, 2014	Brazil	Dilma Rousseff	Fortaleza	Signed agreements to create the New Development Bank and a reserve fund.
7th	July 8–9, 2015	Russia	Vladimir Putin	Ufa	Discussed global political and economic issues.
8th	October 15–16, 2016	India	Narendra Modi	Benaulim, Goa	Debated topics like fighting terrorism and climate change.
9th	September 3–5, 2017	China	Xi Jinping	Xiamen	Talked about the future goals of BRICS and international issues.
10th	July 25–27, 2018	South Africa	Cyril Ramaphosa	Johannesburg	Discussed growing industries within BRICS countries.
11th	November 13–14, 2019	Brazil	Jair Bolsonaro	Brasília	Focused on science, technology, and fighting crime.
12th	November 17, 2020	Russia	Vladimir Putin	Saint Petersburg (video conference)	Discussed improving living standards and focusing on peace and economies.
13th	September 9, 2021	India	Narendra Modi	New Delhi (video conference)	Held many meetings on finance, trade, and energy.
14th	June 23, 2022	China	Xi Jinping	Beijing (video conference)	Discussed creating a new reserve currency.
15th	August 22–24, 2023	South Africa	Cyril Ramaphosa	Johannesburg	Invited Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to join.
16th	October 22–24, 2024	Russia	Vladimir Putin	Kazan	First summit of the expanded BRICS+ group. Discussed new payment systems.
17th	July 6–7, 2025	Brazil	Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva	Rio de Janeiro
18th	2026	India	Narendra Modi	TBD

Member states

BRICS Member  Brazil Russia India China South Africa Egypt Ethiopia Indonesia Iran United Arab Emirates

List of Current Member States

Overview of BRICS Members

Overview and membership in other bodies

Country	Population	GDP (Nom.)	GDP (PPP)	G20	Economic classification
Brazil	7th	10th	7th		Newly industrialized
Russia	9th	11th	4th		Emerging
India	1st	5th	3rd		Newly industrialized
China	2nd	2nd	1st		Newly industrialized
South Africa	23rd	40th	33rd		Newly industrialized
Egypt	15th	45th	17th		Emerging and Developing
Ethiopia	13th	56th	55th		Under developed
Iran	17th	36th	23rd		Emerging and Developing
UAE	88th	26th	38th		Emerging and Developing
Indonesia	4th	16th	8th		Newly industrialized

Partner States and Applications

BRICS does not have a formal way for countries to apply. Instead, a country needs all current members to agree to invite them. Discussions about adding new members became more common in the early 2020s.

In August 2023, six countries were invited to join. Argentina later decided not to accept the invitation. By January 2024, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Iran officially joined. Saudi Arabia was still considering its membership.

In November 2023, Pakistan applied to join, but not all BRICS members supported this. Turkey officially applied in September 2024. Algeria, which had applied in 2023, later withdrew its application in September 2024.

After the 2024 BRICS summit, Brazil did not support Venezuela's application to join. This was due to concerns about the 2024 Venezuelan elections.

The group is now sometimes called "BRICS+" to show that it has expanded. Indonesia, which was first considered a partner, became a full member in January 2025.

Financial Architecture

The New Development Bank (NDB) is based in Shanghai.

The New Development Bank (NDB) and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) agreements were signed at the 2014 BRICS summit.

China has the largest economy within the BRICS group, making up about 70% of the group's total economic output.

The main financial parts of BRICS are the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA). These were officially created in 2014 and started working in 2015.

New Development Bank

The New Development Bank (NDB) is a bank run by the BRICS countries. Its main goal is to lend money for big projects like roads, bridges, and power plants. The bank started with $50 billion and plans to grow to $100 billion. Each of the original five BRICS countries contributed $10 billion. South Africa hosts the NDB's African office.

BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement

The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is like a safety net for BRICS countries. It helps protect them if their money (currency) faces problems because of global financial pressures. This is especially helpful for growing economies that can sometimes have unstable financial situations. The CRA works as an alternative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It was set up in 2015.

BRICS Payment System

At the 2015 BRICS summit, leaders started talking about creating a payment system that could be an alternative to the SWIFT system, which is used worldwide. The goal was to allow countries to make payments using their own currencies. This system would also provide a backup if the SWIFT system had problems.

China has its own payment system called the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System. India, Russia, and Brazil also have their own payment systems.

Potential Common Currency

BRICS countries have discussed creating a new common currency or a similar system. This would make international trade easier and cheaper for them. One idea for the currency name is "R5," based on the first letter of the original five currencies (Renminbi, Ruble, Rupee, Real, and Rand). A sample banknote was shown at the 2024 summit in Russia.

BRICS is also working on "BRICS Bridge," which would allow central banks to make international payments using their own digital currencies. This system would be independent and give each central bank control over its currency exchange rate.

Important Issues

Peace and Security

At the 16th BRICS summit in October 2024, the leaders talked about important peace and security issues. They supported efforts for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. They also expressed deep concern about the situation in the Palestinian Territory, especially the violence in Gaza and the West Bank, which caused many people to be harmed or displaced. They called for an immediate end to fighting in Southern Lebanon. The leaders also noted that one-sided economic penalties can hurt the global economy.

At the 17th BRICS summit in Brazil, the leaders strongly condemned a terrorist attack that happened in Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025. They called for fighting terrorism in all its forms, including stopping terrorists from moving across borders and cutting off their funding. They emphasized that there should be "zero tolerance" for terrorism and that countries should not have different rules for fighting it.

Current leaders

Current leading member state representatives:

Member	Brazil	Russia	India	China	South Africa
Image
Name	Lula da Silva	Vladimir Putin	Narendra Modi	Xi Jinping	Cyril Ramaphosa
Position	President of Brazil	President of Russia	Prime Minister of India	President of China	President of South Africa

Member	Egypt	Ethiopia	Indonesia	Iran	United Arab Emirates
Image
Name	Abdel Fattah el-Sisi	Abiy Ahmed	Prabowo Subianto	Masoud Pezeshkian	Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Position	President of Egypt	Prime Minister of Ethiopia	President of Indonesia	President of Iran	President of the United Arab Emirates

See also

In Spanish: BRICS para niños