BRICS Summits 2009-2026: Themes, Host Countries and Major Outcomes

Since the time of the first summit held in 2009, there has been much change in the grouping of BRICS countries. While at that time BRICS comprised Brazil, Russia, India and China only, since the incorporation of South Africa into the grouping in 2011, the themes discussed during the annual summits have become broader, addressing not only the economic cooperation but also global governance, development financing, technology, climate action, health and other concerns of the Global South.

The 18th BRICS Summit is to be held in New Delhi, India, from September 12 to 13, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam. The theme of the summit in 2026 is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” Previously, India hosted BRICS summits in 2012, 2016 and 2021.

Themes and Outcomes of BRICS Summits: Year-wise

Year	Host Country & City	Theme	Major Outcome
2009	Russia, Yekaterinburg	No formal theme	First BRIC summit; called for a more democratic and multipolar global order.
2010	Brazil, Brasília	No formal theme	Focused on global financial system reforms and South Africa’s entry process.
2011	China, Sanya	Broad Vision, Shared Prosperity	South Africa participated for the first time, formally creating BRICS.
2012	India, New Delhi	BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity	Delhi Declaration; discussions began on creating a new development bank.
2013	South Africa, Durban	BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Development, Integration and Industrialisation	BRICS Business Council established; plans for the New Development Bank advanced.
2014	Brazil, Fortaleza	Inclusive Growth: Sustainable Solutions	Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB) and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).
2015	Russia, Ufa	VII BRICS Summit: It’s Time for Action	Economic Partnership Strategy adopted; cooperation on security and counter-terrorism strengthened.
2016	India, Goa	Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions	Goa Declaration; first BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit held.
2017	China, Xiamen	BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future	BRICS Plus outreach model introduced; counter-terrorism cooperation received greater attention.
2018	South Africa, Johannesburg	BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution	Focus on digital economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution, BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre initiative advanced.
2019	Brazil, Brasília	Economic Growth for an Innovative Future	Emphasis on science, technology, innovation, trade and counter-terrorism cooperation.
2020	Russia, Virtual	BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth	Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted; cooperation focused on COVID-19 response and economic recovery.
2021	India, Virtual	BRICS @ 15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus	Counter-Terrorism Action Plan and Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation agreement adopted.
2022	China, Virtual	Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global Development	Focus on digital economy, trade facilitation and resilient supply chains.
2023	South Africa, Johannesburg	BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism	Six countries were invited to join: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
2024	Russia, Kazan	trengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security	First summit following expansion; partner-country framework and local-currency payment discussions gained momentum.
2025	Brazil, Rio de Janeiro	Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance	Indonesia was formally welcomed as a full member; global governance reforms remained a major focus.
2026	India, New Delhi	Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability Summit	—

BRICS Progression Through Time

The formation of BRICS can be divided into three broad stages.

The first stage started with the BRIC summit in 2009 where Brazil, Russia, India and China pushed for greater representation of emerging nations within international organizations in the finance and politics.

The second stage saw the inclusion of South Africa in 2011. It enhanced the geographical coverage of the group within the African continent and helped create the BRICS formation.

The most important institutionally was the 2014 decision to set up the New Development Bank (NDB) and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA). These tools were used to promote greater financial cooperation between emerging economies.

The third stage of BRICS has seen an expansion. The BRICS group included several other countries at the 2023 summit held in Johannesburg. The new BRICS group formed from 2024. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE were added to BRICS along with Indonesia.