Following the six-nation expansion effort enacted at 2023’s annual summit, the BRICS bloc has announced that 20 new countries have applied to join the alliance in 2024. Specifically, the bloc’s Ambassador, Anil Sooklal, noted the new batch of nations seeking to be a part of further expansion.

This year, BRICS invited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Ethiopia, Argentina, and Iran. However, Argentina announced its rejection of the invitation following the election of Javier Milei to its presidential seat. Moreover, Nigeria and Pakistan are among 20 other countries seeking to take their place in the coming year’s expansion announcement.

20 New Countries Seeking BRICS Entry

Over the last few months, the BRICS economic alliance has grown tremendously. Indeed, the bloc has not only grown its membership by six nations but widely expanded its overall influence. Across the globe, its de-dollarization efforts have made massive strides as it has continued its quest for multipolarity.

Now, following the developments of the 2023 annual summit, the BRICS alliance has seen 20 new countries apply to join the alliance in 2024. Indeed, Anil Sooklal stated that “over 20 countries have formally applied to join BRICS, while the same number have expressed interest.”

“This is an affirmation that BRICS is playing an important role in championing emerging and developing economies,” he added. “There are a large number of interested parties and these will be dealt with by the respective foreign ministers.” However, Sooklal did not specifically mention the countries by name. Yet, many countries have already expressed their interest.

Among those 20 countries, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Ecuador, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sudan, Venezuela, Uruguay, and Thailand are likely to be involved. Moreover, Nigeria and Pakistan had already been vocal about their hope to join the alliance in the coming years.