How BRICS evolved in 20 years: Full timeline of members, expansion and major summits

BRICS has evolved from an economic acronym coined by Goldman Sachs into a major forum for political, economic and diplomatic cooperation among countries of the Global South, with its 18th summit set to be hosted in Delhi this weekend. The history of BRICS spans 25 years, while it has crossed two decades as a formal grouping. Starting with four emerging economies, it currently boasts of 11 full members and a growing network of partner countries. Here is a timeline tracing that story:

2001, when the BRIC idea was born

It was Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill who coined the term BRIC in a 2001 research paper, referring to Brazil, Russia, India and China. O’Neill argued in the paper that these four emerging economies could become increasingly important forces in the global economy in coming years.

2006, the year BRIC started formal cooperation

The four countries mentioned in the paper began developing BRIC as a political grouping in 2006. An inaugural foreign ministers’ meeting was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Russia, India and China had also met earlier that year during the G8 Outreach Summit in St Petersburg.

2009: The first BRIC summit is held

The first BRIC leaders’ summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on 16 June 2009. Leaders of the member nations called for reform of international financial institutions and greater representation for emerging economies in global decision-making.

2010: South Africa joins, turning BRIC to BRICS

The second summit of the group was held in Brazil's capital Brasília in April 2010. Later that year, South Africa was invited to join. South Africa attended the summit at Sanya, China, in April 2011 as a full member, transforming BRIC into BRICS.

The New Development Bank takes shape: 2012-2015

Discussions were held at the fourth BRICS summit in New Delhi in 2012 for a new development bank. The idea advanced at the 2013 Durban summit. At the 2014 Fortaleza summit, BRICS members signed agreements for creating the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement. The NDB became operational in 2015, with the Ufa summit that year vowing to strengthen economic cooperation.

2016-2019: A period of expansion for BRICS ideas and agenda

The idea and agenda of BRICS expanded in the 2016-19 period. The 2016 summit was hosted by India in Goa. China hosted the Xiamen summit in 2017, while South Africa hosted the Johannesburg summit in 2018. Brazil hosted the 2019 summit in Brasília. These meetings expanded the BRICS Plus and outreach formats.

2020-2022: Cooperation during global pandemic disruption

The 2020 summit was held virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic. India chaired the virtual summit in 2021, followed by China in 2022. It was a period in which focus shifted to global governance reforms, economic cooperation and the possibility of expanding membership.

2023-24: Major expansion of BRICS into 10 members

At the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, leaders invited Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to join the grouping from 1 January 2024. Argentina subsequently declined the invitation.

Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE formally joined in January 2024. Saudi Arabia was also included in official BRICS membership lists.

The expanded group's leaders met at the 16th summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024. This summit also saw the creation of the new BRICS partner-country category.

2025: Indonesia joins as the 11th member, as partner country list expands

Indonesia became BRICS’ 11th full member in January 2025. BRICS also welcomed nine partner countries: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan. Later, Vietnam became the 10th partner country.

The 17th summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2025, which saw the adoption of 126 commitments covering global governance, finance, health, artificial intelligence and climate change.

2026: India takes the chairship of BRICS

India assumed the BRICS chairship on 1 January 2026 for the fourth time. Its theme is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with a people-centric approach rooted in “Humanity First”. During its chairship, India held more than 350 meetings and high-level engagements across more than 25 cities. Under India's chairship, the 18th BRICS Summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026.

Two decades of BRICS: A unique forum

The Delhi summit is taking place as BRICS marks two decades as a formal group. It is a unique forum in that there's no constitutive treaty, permanent secretariat, or common budget. It's a bloc built on consensus, with members finding areas of agreement and working together on those, even when there are differences among them on several bilateral issues. The growing membership and expanding partnerships are a testimony that BRICS has stood the test of time.