Indonesia joins Brics as newest full member, Brazil foreign ministry says

Source: South China Morning Post | Original Published At: 2025-01-06 20:48:00 UTC

Key Points

• Indonesia becomes newest full member of Brics
• Brazil highlights Indonesia's economic scale and Global South relevance
• Indonesia's GDP, population, and growth position it as key emerging market
• Bilateral cooperation focuses on global governance reform and South-South collaboration
• First full membership expansion since Brics opened to new members in 2023

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy and the world’s fourth-most populous nation, has become the newest member of Brics, the Brazilian foreign ministry announced on Monday.

Brazil serves this year as president of the association comprising major emerging national economies, and a statement from its foreign ministry highlighted Indonesia’s significance to the Global South

With a GDP of about US$1.4 trillion, a population surpassing 280 million and annual economic growth exceeding 5 per cent for much of the past decade, Indonesia is regarded as one of the most dynamic emerging markets globally, it added.

“Indonesia shares with other members of the group support for the reform of global governance institutions and contributes positively to the deepening of cooperation in the Global South, priority issues for the Brazilian presidency of Brics,” the ministry said.

Indonesia is the first country to join Brics as a full member since the group opened to expansion during its 2023 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Its original members are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.