Brazil Administrative Divisions
What is the hierarchy of administrative divisions in Brazil?
Here’s a breakdown of the hierarchy:
1. States and Federal District: Brazil is divided into 26 states and 1 federal district (27 federative units).
2. Municipalities: Each state and the federal district is subdivided into municipalities (5,569 as of 2024).
3. Districts: Municipalities are further subdivided into districts (10,740 as of 2024).
4. Subdistricts: Some districts are further subdivided into subdistricts (645 as of 2024), which are the smallest administrative units where they exist.
List of Brazil's administrative divisions with their counts and names
These are the summarized administrative divisions. The full dataset is available in the Download Center.
| iso | country | admin level 1 | admin level 2 | admin level 3 | admin level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BR | Brazil | Acre (State) | 5 Microregions | 22 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Alagoas (State) | 13 Microregions | 102 Municipalities | 8 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Amapa (State) | 4 Microregions | 16 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Amazonas (State) | 13 Microregions | 62 Municipalities | 9 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Bahia (State) | 32 Microregions | 417 Municipalities | 161 Neighbourhoods, 2 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Ceara (State) | 33 Microregions | 184 Municipalities | 121 Neighbourhoods |
| BR | Brazil | Espirito Santo (State) | 13 Microregions | 78 Municipalities | 80 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Federal District (Federal district) | 1 Microregion | 35 Administrative regions | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Goias (State) | 18 Microregions | 246 Municipalities | 66 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Maranhao (State) | 21 Microregions | 217 Municipalities | 253 Neighbourhoods |
| BR | Brazil | Mato Grosso do Sul (State) | 11 Microregions | 79 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Mato Grosso (State) | 22 Microregions | 142 Municipalities | 4 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Minas Gerais (State) | 66 Microregions | 853 Municipalities | 9 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Paraiba (State) | 23 Microregions | 223 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Parana (State) | 39 Microregions | 399 Municipalities | 66 Neighbourhoods |
| BR | Brazil | Para (State) | 22 Microregions | 144 Municipalities | 8 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Pernambuco (State) | 19 Microregions | 185 Municipalities | 94 Neighbourhoods |
| BR | Brazil | Piaui (State) | 15 Microregions | 224 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Rio de Janeiro (State) | 18 Microregions | 92 Municipalities | 217 Neighbourhoods, 9 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Rio Grande do Norte (State) | 19 Microregions | 167 Municipalities | 4 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Rio Grande do Sul (State) | 35 Microregions | 497 Municipalities | 94 Neighbourhoods |
| BR | Brazil | Rondonia (State) | 8 Microregions | 52 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Roraima (State) | 4 Microregions | 15 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Santa Catarina (State) | 20 Microregions | 295 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Sao Paulo (State) | 63 Microregions | 645 Municipalities | 34 Neighbourhoods, 34 Subdistricts |
| BR | Brazil | Sergipe (State) | 13 Microregions | 75 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| BR | Brazil | Tocantins (State) | 8 Microregions | 139 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
Why is building an Administrative Divisions Database complex?
The complexity arises from inconsistent global standards, frequent boundary changes, non-uniform naming conventions (e.g., “suburb” in Australia vs. “county” in the US), and variations in administrative levels across countries. Integrating and harmonizing data from multiple sources requires advanced normalization, versioning, and geospatial validation techniques.
How does GeoPostcodes solve the problem for you?
Our standardized database overcomes the complexity of different administrative division
systems worldwide. Our database follows a unified structure that you can integrate
seamlessly into your system or platform of choice without needing to become an expert in
each country’s unique administrative hierarchy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Brazil is divided into 1 federal district (Distrito Federal) and 26 states (Estados), which form the top-level administrative units. These are subdivided into 558 microregions (Microrregiões). The smallest administrative level consists of 5,570 municipalities (Municípios). Major federal district include Acre, Alagoas, and Amapa.
Brazil has 3 administrative levels. Level 1: 1 federal district (Distrito Federal) and 26 states (Estados). Level 2: 558 microregions (Microrregiões). Level 3: 5,570 municipalities (Municípios).
Brazil operates on a 4-level administrative system starting with 27 federative units (26 states and 1 federal district), followed by municipalities, then districts, and finally subdistricts as the smallest administrative units. Microregions are statistical groupings and not part of the administrative hierarchy.
In Brazil, federal district and states both sit at administrative level 1 but serve different functions. Federal district (distrito federal) — there is 1 — is typically a larger city or urban area that governs itself independently. States (estados) — there are 26 — group multiple smaller municipalities under a shared administration.
Brazilian administrative divisions have specific local names at each level. In Portuguese, federal district are called Distrito Federal; states are called Estados; microregions are called Microrregiões; municipalities are called Municípios. These local-language terms appear in official documents, legal records, and government databases, so matching them correctly is important for data integration and compliance.
Administrative boundaries in Brazil change as governments reorganize regions, merge municipalities, or create new administrative units to reflect population shifts and political decisions. Changes most commonly affect the municipalities level, where Brazil currently has 5,570 units. Businesses that rely on Brazilian administrative data should use a regularly updated reference dataset to avoid mismatches in geocoding, tax jurisdiction mapping, and compliance reporting.