Member states of BRICS facts for kids
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BRICS is a group of important countries that work together on global issues. 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 BRIC.
The group grew even more in 2024 when Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates became official members. Then, in January 2025, Indonesia also joined. Many other countries are now partners or have asked to join this growing organization.
Member Countries
These are the countries that are official members of BRICS. They work together on many topics, like trade and development.
| Flag | Country |
Capital |
Currency |
Official Languages | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Brazil | Brasília | Brazilian real (R$) | Portuguese | June 2009 |
 |
Russia | Moscow | Russian rouble (₽) | Russian | |
 |
India | New Delhi | Indian rupee (₹) | Hindi English |
|
 |
China | Beijing | Renminbi (Chinese yuan, ¥) | Standard Chinese | |
 |
South Africa | Pretoria (executive) Cape Town (legislative) Bloemfontein (judicial) |
South African rand (R) | 12 languages | December 2010 |
 |
Egypt | Cairo | Egyptian pound (LE) | Arabic | January 2024 |
 |
Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Ethiopian birr (Br) | Afar Amharic Oromo Somali Tigrinya |
|
 |
Iran | Tehran | Iranian rial (Rl) | Persian | |
 |
United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | UAE dirham (Dh) | Arabic | |
 |
Indonesia | Jakarta | Indonesian rupiah (Rp) | Indonesian | January 2025 |
Partner Countries
Partner countries are a new group created in 2024. These countries are not full members yet, but they work closely with BRICS members. It's like a step before becoming a full member. Ten countries became official partners by January 2025.
| Flag | Country |
Capital |
Currency |
Official Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Belarus | Minsk | Belarusian ruble (BYR) | Belarusian Russian |
 |
Bolivia | Sucre | Boliviano | Spanish Quechua Aymara Guarani |
 |
Cuba | Havana | Cuban peso | Spanish |
 |
Kazakhstan | Astana | Tenge (KZT) | Kazakh Russian |
 |
Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) | Malay |
 |
Nigeria | Abuja | Nigerian naira (NGN) | English |
 |
Thailand | Bangkok | Thai baht (THB) | Thai |
 |
Uganda | Kampala | Ugandan shilling (UGX) | English and Swahili |
 |
Uzbekistan | Tashkent | Uzbek sum (UZS) | Uzbek |
 |
Vietnam | Hanoi | Vietnamese đồng (VND) | Vietnamese |
Two more countries were invited to be partner states but had not confirmed their status by mid-January 2025.
| Flag | Country |
Capital |
Currency |
Official Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Algeria | Algiers | Algerian dinar (DZD) | Arabic |
 |
Turkey | Ankara | Turkish lira (TRY) | Turkish |
Countries That Have Applied to Join
Many countries want to join BRICS. Some have applied, and some have even been invited but decided not to join.
- Indonesia: Indonesia first thought about joining in 2011 and applied in 2022. However, the president at the time, Joko Widodo, decided not to join. Later, Indonesia restarted its application process and officially became a full member in January 2025.
- Argentina: Argentina applied to join BRICS in 2022 and was invited in 2023. But after a new president, Javier Milei, was elected, Argentina decided not to join the group.
- Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia was also invited to join in 2023, with plans to become a full member in January 2024. However, Saudi Arabia announced in mid-January 2024 that it was still thinking about it. As of April 2024, the decision was still being considered.
- Algeria: Algeria applied for membership in 2023 but later decided not to join in September 2024.
- Venezuela: After the 2024 BRICS summit, Brazil did not support Venezuela's application to join. This was mainly because of issues with the 2024 Venezuelan elections. Venezuela then removed its ambassador from Brazil.
See also
- Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
- Member states of the Eurasian Economic Union
