Graphics: Milestones for BRICS 2006-2026

BRIC was formalized at the first Foreign Ministers' Meeting in 2006, attended by representatives of Brazil, Russia, India and China on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The first official leaders' meeting followed in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009.

At the 2010 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New York, members agreed to admit South Africa, transforming BRIC into BRICS.

South Africa attended its first summit in Sanya in 2011.

New institutions and mechanisms were rolled out in subsequent years.

A landmark expansion unfolded across 2024 and 2025.

Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates became full members in January 2024, followed by Indonesia in January 2025.

Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam joined as partner countries in 2025.

Following this expansion, BRICS now accounts for 49.5% of the global population, 40% of world GDP and 26% of global trade, according to India, host of the 2026 summit.

The summit is scheduled for September 12-13.