At a glance

  • When: 12–13 September 2026
  • Where: Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
  • Theme: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability
  • Chair: India, since 1 January 2026, taking over from Brazil

India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September. It is India's fourth time chairing BRICS, after New Delhi in 2012, Goa in 2016 and a virtual summit in 2021, and the first time India welcomes the expanded group in person.

BRICS now has 11 members: the founding five (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which joined in 2024, and Indonesia, which joined in 2025. Ten more countries, from Belarus to Vietnam, have joined as BRICS partner countries.

A year as chair

Across the chairship year India held over 400 BRICS meetings and engagements across 30 cities, at the level of ministers, parliamentarians, heads of agencies, officials, experts, businesses and people — the tally the New Delhi Declaration would go on to record. BRICS foreign ministers met in New Delhi in May. On 11 September, the day before the leaders' summit, the Prime Minister addressed the BRICS Business Forum, which also brought together the BRICS Women's Business Alliance.

India's priorities as chair

India's chairship put development, sustainability and innovation at the centre of BRICS, with the aspirations of the Global South in view. The grouping's work spans food and energy security, climate change, trade, health, finance and technology.

India's record as a host

  • G20, 2023: the same venue hosted India's G20 summit, the end of a presidency that took more than 200 meetings to 60 cities and made the African Union a permanent member on India's proposal. See Global Outreach & Summits →
  • Trade: seven major trade agreements since 2021, from the UAE and Australia to the United Kingdom and the European Union. See the trade agreements →
  • Alliances: India founded the International Solar Alliance (100+ member countries) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and launched the Global Biofuels Alliance at the New Delhi G20. See the India-led alliances →
  • Digital public infrastructure: UPI handled more than 240 billion transactions in 2025-26, a model countries across the Global South are studying. See the numbers →

For what the summit decided, read our report on the outcome: BRICS adopts the New Delhi Declaration.

For the story behind the welcome, read our feature: BRICS 2026: The Message of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' Takes the Global Stage.

Sources: BRICS New Delhi Declaration, 12 September 2026 (full text) · PIB: BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition · BRICS India 2026 (official) · PIB: BRICS — Evolution, Cooperation and India's Leadership · PIB: Prime Minister's address at the BRICS Business Forum 2026 · Ministry of External Affairs: 18th BRICS Summit · Trade, alliance and UPI figures: India Unfolding