Member states of BRICS facts for kids
BRICS is a group of important countries working together. The name BRICS comes from the first letters of its original members: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. In 2010, South Africa joined, adding the "S" to BRICS.
The group grew even more in 2024. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates became official members. Then, in January 2025, Indonesia also joined. Many other countries are interested in working with BRICS or becoming members in the future.
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Who are the BRICS Members?
BRICS is like a club for some of the world's biggest and fastest-growing economies. These countries work together on things like trade, money, and global issues.
BRICS Partner States
In 2024, BRICS created a new group called "Partner States." These countries are not full members yet. They are like observers who get support from BRICS members. They need to show they are good partners before they might become full members. This is similar to how the Shanghai Cooperation Organization adds new members.
Thirteen countries were asked to be partners. By December 2024, eight of them confirmed their partnership. Indonesia was one of the invited countries but decided to join as a full member in January 2025 instead.
| Flag | Country | Capital | Leader(s) | When they applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Belarus Republic of Belarus |
Minsk | President: Alexander Lukashenko Prime Minister: Roman Golovchenko |
2023 |
 |
Bolivia Plurinational State of Bolivia |
Sucre | President: Luis Arce | 2023 |
 |
Cuba Republic of Cuba |
Havana | President: Miguel Díaz-Canel Prime Minister: Manuel Marrero Cruz |
2023 |
 |
Kazakhstan Republic of Kazakhstan |
Astana | President: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Prime Minister: Oljas Bektenov |
|
 |
Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | King: Ibrahim Iskandar Prime Minister: Anwar Ibrahim |
2024 |
 |
Thailand Kingdom of Thailand |
Bangkok | King: Vajiralongkorn Prime Minister: Paetongtarn Shinawatra |
2024 |
 |
Uganda | |||
 |
Uzbekistan |
Four more countries were invited to be partner states but have not yet confirmed.
| Flag | Country | Capital | Leader(s) | When they applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Algeria | Algiers | ||
 |
Nigeria Federal Republic of Nigeria |
Abuja | President: Muhammadu Buhari | 2023 |
 |
Turkey Republic of Turkey |
Ankara | President: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | |
 |
Vietnam Socialist Republic of Vietnam |
Hanoi | President: Lương Cường Prime Minister: Phạm Minh Chính |
Countries That Applied to Join BRICS
Saudi Arabia was asked to join BRICS but has not yet officially agreed.
Even though Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates were not accepted as members at the 2023 BRICS meeting, they were among 22 countries that had applied. South Africa's Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, said that more countries would be added to BRICS. This means that BRICS plans to grow even more. The countries listed below are possible new members because they have applied.
| Flag | Country | Capital | Leader(s) | When they applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Azerbaijan Republic of Azerbaijan |
Baku | President: Ilham Aliyev Prime Minister: Ali Asadov |
2024 |
 |
Bangladesh People's Republic of Bangladesh |
Dhaka | President: Mohammed Shahabuddin Prime Minister: Muhammad Yunus |
2023 |
 |
Myanmar Republic of the Union of Myanmar |
Naypyidaw | Leader: Min Aung Hlaing | 2024 |
 |
Pakistan Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
Islamabad | President: Asif Ali Zardari Prime Minister: Shehbaz Sharif |
2024 |
 |
Senegal Republic of Senegal |
Dakar | President: Bassirou Diomaye Faye Prime Minister: Ousmane Sonko |
2023 |
 |
Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
Kotte | President: Anura Kumara Dissanayake Prime Minister: Harini Amarasuriya |
2024 |
 |
Syria Syrian Arab Republic |
Damascus | President: vacant | 2024 |
 |
Venezuela Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela |
Caracas | President: Nicolás Maduro | 2024 |
Countries That Changed Their Minds
Some countries have applied to join BRICS but later decided not to.
- In 2011, Indonesia thought about joining BRICS. They formally applied in 2022. However, the president at the time, Joko Widodo, decided not to join because he felt it was too rushed. He said Indonesia might apply again later. Indonesia has now restarted its application process in 2025.
- Argentina applied to join BRICS in 2022. They were invited to become a member in 2023. But after a new president, Javier Milei, was elected, Argentina decided not to join the group.
- Algeria also applied for membership in 2023. However, in September 2024, Algeria decided not to join.
- After the 2024 BRICS meeting, Brazil stopped Venezuela's application to join. This was mainly because of issues with Venezuela's elections and ongoing problems in the country. Venezuela then removed its ambassador from Brazil.
See also
- Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
- Member states of the Eurasian Economic Union
