Today, the states of BRICS together are home to over 41 % of the world’s population and collectively account for nearly 40% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The organization, which was initially known as BRIC before South Africa joined in 2010, has over the past two years experienced a rapid expansion and gained increased attention in different world forums.
In 2023 six countries were invited to join BRICS—Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina— and almost a decade and a half after its inauguration in 2009, four new members were welcomed during the Kazan summit in 2024. Argentina is the only country that decided to formally decline their invitation and although Saudi Arabia has not yet formally answered theirs, it is not clear whether they will accept due to their Western alliances.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has however been clear to emphasize that BRICS is against no one, although the organization has been portrayed as an inclusive and multilateral alternative to the G7 and the G20. It could perhaps be suggested that BRICS, which mainly consists of emerging economies and aims to stimulate mutual economic development, has become an attractive option for many countries amidst political volatility and high tariffs coming from the United States.
In January 2025, headlines were made as the organization further welcomed Indonesia as its newest member, the first Southeast Asian country to join BRICS. Indonesia has had a non-alignment policy that has allowed for a balanced foreign policy over the years, avoiding exclusive alignment with either Western powers or China. As some questioned what a BRICS membership would mean for this policy, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono defended the BRICS membership by stating that it would “bridge the interests of developing countries and the Indo-Pacific region” while ensuring the country’s presence in global forums.
Another testimony of the organization’s increasing popularity is the number of new partner nations, with Vietnam joining most recently in June 2025. The concept of partner nations is relatively new within the BRICS framework, having been introduced only during the 2024 Kazan summit. At the summit, a list of nine new partner countries was presented: Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Nigeria.
This dynamic change is worthy of attention: for over a decade since the organization’s establishment, there has never been such a large number of new countries expressing a formal interest in either membership or collaboration with the entity. What could it mean?
To fully grasp the potential of BRICS on the modern-day political stage, one needs to look at how it functions institutionally. A country that becomes a BRICS member is required to go through a technical screening and meet a relatively non-extensive set of criteria. However, this is virtually an end to its commitments. An important institutional feature of BRICS is that the participating nations are rarely bound to follow a set policy guideline after they join the organization. There is also no permanent governance system, and the political as well as economic developments are carried out mainly within its summits.
There is even so no doubt that the organization is entering a new phase. With India stabilizing its relations with China, Russia seeking new partnerships in the Global South, and the US trade policy reaching a new peak of unpredictability in recent years, many countries may be compelled to rethink their own trade policies. It might therefore be worth thinking more about what BRICS could become in the coming years than to ponder on what they currently are.
As a benchmark of geopolitical change, BRICS now encompasses states with significant raw material and industry potential. However, given that members’ and partner states’ views on the world are varied and dispersed, the organisation still struggles to create a homogeneous political environment. The potential benefit it provides is perhaps matched by the risk of discord among its members.
Nevertheless, despite potential internal hedging, the BRICS model still has equal chances of becoming a powerful economic actor as it does of remaining only a symbolic community of countries, united by the same purpose but never actually agreeing on the means of its achievement. The organization itself, however, can serve as a starting point for countries that search for alternatives to engagement with the West, thereby increasing pressure on Western hegemonial powers and ultimately reshaping the balance of global influence.
By Moa Gustafsson & Artem Rybalchenko
September 16, 2025
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