Where the units are and who operates them
Network openings outside state capitals rise from 59.4% to 64.7% in ten years
Share of 2025 openings outside state capitals, in the 503 measured networks, compared with 59.4% in 2015
See the full table (10 rows)
| Segment | Active establishments | Outside state capitals | In municipalities with up to 100,000 inhabitants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gyms and sports | 2,457 | 51.8% | 8.7% |
| Food | 12,670 | 56.6% | 14.7% |
| Food, retail and distribution | 6,001 | 62.0% | 25.5% |
| Education | 3,297 | 68.8% | 26.1% |
| Fashion and accessories | 9,657 | 59.4% | 15.4% |
| Health, beauty and wellness | 12,364 | 72.8% | 32.9% |
| Services and other businesses | 11,023 | 67.1% | 22.9% |
| Tourism and hospitality | 472 | 60.0% | 14.8% |
| All measured networks | 57,941 | 63.6% | 21.8% |
| Estimated resident population in 2025 | 76.9% | 41.7% |
The CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) records the municipality of each establishment and the date on which it started operating, which makes it possible to track where franchise networks open units. The indicator considers the establishments of the 503 networks whose profile in the observatory has the Receita Federal (the federal tax authority) section, identified by the brand in the trade name and by the CNAE (national classification of economic activities) codes expected for each business, and compares their location with the distribution of the population estimated by IBGE (the national statistics institute) for 2025.
The share of openings outside state capitals rose from 59.4% in 2015 to 64.7% in 2025, with the highest value in the series in 2023, at 65.4%. The change is concentrated from 2020 onward, when the share rose from 60.2% to 63.5%, and accompanies the growth of openings in municipalities with up to 100,000 inhabitants, which went from 19.0% in 2015 to 21.8% in 2025, after reaching 24.1% in 2022. The networks nonetheless remain more concentrated than the population, since 63.6% of active establishments are outside state capitals, where 76.9% of Brazilians live, and 21.8% are in municipalities with up to 100,000 inhabitants, which account for 41.7% of the population.
Health, beauty and wellness is the segment with the strongest presence outside state capitals, with 72.8% of active establishments, followed by education, with 68.8%, and by services and other businesses, with 67.1%. Gyms and sports, with 51.8%, and food, with 56.6%, are the segments most concentrated in state capitals.
How we calculate
We started from the list of establishments that the observatory's census attributes to each network in the open CNPJ data of Receita Federal, reference month October 2026, using the trade name expression and the expected CNAE codes recorded in each network profile. The municipality of each establishment was converted from the Receita Federal code to the IBGE code by name and state, and cross-referenced with the list of the 27 state capitals and with the estimated resident population for 2025, from SIDRA table 6579. The openings series counts, in each year, the establishments that started activity in that year, whatever their current registration status, and the current snapshot counts only active ones. The 503 networks with at least 30 active establishments in the subset are included, and cells with fewer than five establishments are left blank in the file.
The first edition of the indicator, dated October 12, 2026, measured 442 networks. The edition dated October 18, 2026, with the networks added to the universe on that date, measured 497 networks; the edition dated October 30, 2026, already on the reference month of October 2026, measured 509 networks; and the edition dated November 8, 2026, with the expansion of the universe in this edition, measures 503 networks on the reference month of October 2026. The files of previous editions remain available under Open data.
What this figure does not show
- The set of networks is the observatory's as of October 2026, made up of active networks, and a network that ceased operations before then is not included in the series.
- The location is that of the establishment in the registry, which may be the company's tax address rather than the point of sale, especially for kiosks and operations inside third-party premises.
- The count depends on the establishment using the brand in the trade name, and the proportion of units registered only under the franchisee's legal name varies from network to network and from region to region. Individual microentrepreneurs almost never fill in this field, and recent openings under that regime are left out of the series. Excluding sole proprietorships that opted for MEI (individual microentrepreneur regime) in any year, the share outside state capitals goes from 58.6% in 2015 to 64.7% in 2025.
- An opening counts a CNPJ, not a unit, and a change of franchisee at the same location generates a new opening without the network having reached another municipality.
- The comparison with the population does not take into account income, foot traffic or the presence of shopping centers, which also guide the choice of location.
Frequently asked questions
Are franchises expanding into Brazil's interior?
In the 503 measured networks, the share of openings outside state capitals rose from 59.4% in 2015 to 64.7% in 2025, and the share of openings in municipalities with up to 100,000 inhabitants rose from 19.0% to 21.8%.
How many franchise units are outside state capitals?
In the measured networks, 63.6% of active establishments are outside state capitals, where 76.9% of the country's population lives.
Which franchise segment has the strongest presence in Brazil's interior?
Health, beauty and wellness, with 72.8% of active establishments outside state capitals. Gyms and sports, with 51.8%, is the segment most concentrated in state capitals.
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Maintained by Marktech, which serves franchise networks and franchises. The brands cited belong to their owners and are mentioned here only to identify the network the data refers to.