The Global South-led organization BRICS continues to expand, adding 9 partner countries in January 2025, after admitting 4 new members in 2024. The group now makes up roughly half of the global population and more than 41% of world GDP (PPP). It's an economic powerhouse, with top producers of key commodities like oil, gas, grains, meat, minerals, and more. Ben Norton analyzes the growing influence of BRICS+.

VIDEO with charts and maps here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_shuhJvvBY

BRICS MEMBERSHIP (9 members + 9 partner countries)

- 5 original members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.

- 4 new members officially admitted in January 2024 are Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE. (Saudi Arabia has neither accepted nor denied the invitation. Argentina rejected the offer.)

- 9 confirmed partner countries are Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan.

- 4 invited partner countries have not yet given a response: Algeria, Nigeria, Turkey/Türkiye, Vietnam.

Check out our related video on BRICS' plan to transform the global financial system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pHr5yzLEHA

BRICS plans ‘multi-currency system’ to challenge US dollar dominance: Understanding Russia’s proposal - https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/10/19/brics-russia-multi-currency-system-us-dollar/

Topics

0:00 History of BRICS expansion

0:45 9 new partner countries

1:38 Map of BRICS membership

3:45 BRICS is an economic powerhouse

5:00 What does partner status mean?

5:39 De-dollarization of international financial system

7:06 1/2 of global population

8:35 BRICS economies are bigger than G7

9:24 41% of world GDP (PPP)

10:20 US GDP is overstated

12:49 Food production

17:32 Oil & gas production

18:32 Renewable energy

19:21 Mineral production

20:43 Building a global alternative

22:07 Outro