How A Small Town in Rio de Janeiro Became A Billionaire Power Through Oil and Today Challenges The Largest Capitals in Brazil

Written by Rannyson Moura

Published on 20/01/2026 at 09:17

Impulsionada pelos royalties do petróleo do Campo de Lula, Maricá se consolida como a quarta cidade mais rica do Brasil, com alto PIB e forte impacto na qualidade de vida da população.

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Driven By Oil Royalties From The Lula Field, Maricá Consolidates As The Fourth Richest City In Brazil, With High GDP And Strong Impact On The Quality Of Life Of The Population.

Located in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, Maricá has been capturing national attention by ranking fourth among the richest cities in Brazil. With just over 197 thousand inhabitants, the municipality has built a robust economic base from oil exploration, especially from the royalties generated by the Lula Field, operated by Petrobras in the Santos Basin.

This constant flow of resources has transformed the municipal budget. As a result, the government began to invest more intensively in infrastructure, social policies, and basic services. Thus, oil has ceased to be just an energy asset and has begun to act as a direct engine of local development.

Royalties Strengthen Public Services And Attract New Residents

Much of the improvements seen in the daily lives of the population stem from oil resources. Over the years, Maricá has gained prominence for presenting good indicators of quality of life, safety, and urban organization. Additionally, the city has come to be seen as an attractive destination for those seeking tranquility without completely distancing themselves from the capital of Rio de Janeiro.

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High GDP Places Maricá Among The Largest Economies In The Country

According to data from IBGE in 2023, Maricá achieved a Gross Domestic Product of R$ 134.1 billion. This figure secured the municipality fourth place in the ranking of the richest cities in Brazil, surpassing traditional capitals and important industrial hubs.

On The Eve Of The Rio De Janeiro Elections, Billion-Dollar Dispute Over Oil Royalties Redefines Political Alliances

The survey considers the overall economic performance of cities, highlighting the weight of oil royalties in the composition of Maricá’s GDP. The national ranking is led by São Paulo, followed by Rio de Janeiro and Brasília. Just behind, Maricá ranks ahead of cities like Belo Horizonte, Manaus, and Curitiba.

São Paulo (SP): R$ 1.066 trillion
Rio de Janeiro (RJ): R$ 418.4 billion
Brasília (DF): R$ 365.6 billion
Maricá (RJ): R$ 134.1 billion
Belo Horizonte (MG): R$ 130.2 billion
Manaus (AM): R$ 127.6 billion
Curitiba (PR): R$ 120.1 billion
Osasco (SP): R$ 119.4 billion
Porto Alegre (RS): R$ 104.7 billion
Guarulhos (SP): R$ 97.5 billion

This performance reinforces how oil, when well managed, can redefine the role of a municipality in the national economic landscape.

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Silva

#228173

22/01/2026 08:08

A quarta cidade mais rica com infraestrutura de cidade pequena ainda. O crescimento do PIB não condiz com a evolução que a cidade está tendo. Ruas sem asfalto e saneamento, manutenção de obras públicas medíocre, a cidade não tem um batalhão de polícia e tem que utilizar policial de outro município, enfim a quem do que pode ser com esse crescimento monetário. Tenho casa aqui a 16 anos e estou pensando seriamente em sair daqui.

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How A Small Town in Rio de Janeiro Became A Billionaire Power Through Oil and Today Challenges The Largest Capitals in Brazil

Driven By Oil Royalties From The Lula Field, Maricá Consolidates As The Fourth Richest City In Brazil, With High GDP And Strong Impact On The Quality Of Life Of The Population.

Royalties Strengthen Public Services And Attract New Residents

High GDP Places Maricá Among The Largest Economies In The Country

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How A Small Town in Rio de Janeiro Became A Billionaire Power Through Oil and Today Challenges The Largest Capitals in Brazil

Driven By Oil Royalties From The Lula Field, Maricá Consolidates As The Fourth Richest City In Brazil, With High GDP And Strong Impact On The Quality Of Life Of The Population.

Royalties Strengthen Public Services And Attract New Residents

High GDP Places Maricá Among The Largest Economies In The Country

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

SpaceX will dock a $843 million vehicle to the International Space Station to push a nearly 420-ton laboratory against the atmosphere and make the debris fall in a controlled manner into the ocean.

China opens the world’s first school where more than 100 humanoid robots from different brands will study together, each movement will be repeated up to 600 times a day and the data will feed a collective brain that will teach all the robots of the future.

Cambodia has started digging a nearly 180-kilometer canal to connect the Mekong River directly to the sea and reduce its dependence on the ports of neighboring Vietnam.

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