Where the units are and who operates them
45.1% of franchise networks with a published CNPJ are headquartered in the state of São Paulo, and 48.6% of units are outside the headquarters region
of the networks that publish the franchisor's CNPJ are headquartered in the state of São Paulo, which has 21.6% of the population
See the full table (28 rows)
| Headquarters state | Networks | Share of networks | Networks per million inhabitants | Share of population | Share of local units in class 77.40-3 | Share of units of the measured networks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 308 | 45.1% | 6.7 | 21.6% | 36.8% | 26.3% |
| Santa Catarina | 62 | 9.1% | 7.6 | 3.8% | 6.9% | 6.1% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 61 | 8.9% | 3.5 | 8.1% | 9.2% | 9.9% |
| Paraná | 57 | 8.3% | 4.8 | 5.6% | 9.0% | 6.4% |
| Minas Gerais | 49 | 7.2% | 2.3 | 10.0% | 12.2% | 9.1% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 44 | 6.4% | 3.9 | 5.3% | 7.1% | 4.5% |
| Espírito Santo | 16 | 2.3% | 3.9 | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% |
| Goiás | 16 | 2.3% | 2.2 | 3.5% | 2.6% | 4.9% |
| Ceará | 13 | 1.9% | 1.4 | 4.3% | 1.9% | 2.1% |
| Pernambuco | 13 | 1.9% | 1.4 | 4.5% | 2.2% | 2.8% |
| Bahia | 8 | 1.2% | 0.5 | 7.0% | 1.9% | 4.6% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 8 | 1.2% | 2.3 | 1.6% | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Distrito Federal | 7 | 1.0% | 2.3 | 1.4% | 1.7% | 3.2% |
| Paraíba | 5 | 0.7% | 1.2 | 2.0% | 0.5% | 1.5% |
| Maranhão | fewer than 5 | 3.3% | 0.5% | 1.9% | ||
| Tocantins | fewer than 5 | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.9% | ||
| Amazonas | fewer than 5 | 2.0% | 0.3% | 1.0% | ||
| Mato Grosso | fewer than 5 | 1.8% | 1.1% | 2.8% | ||
| Mato Grosso do Sul | fewer than 5 | 1.4% | 0.5% | 1.6% | ||
| Alagoas | fewer than 5 | 1.5% | 0.3% | 1.1% | ||
| Pará | fewer than 5 | 4.1% | 0.9% | 2.7% | ||
| Sergipe | fewer than 5 | 1.1% | 0.3% | 0.7% | ||
| Acre | 0 | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.3% | ||
| Amapá | 0 | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.3% | ||
| Piauí | 0 | 1.6% | 0.3% | 1.0% | ||
| Rondônia | 0 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | ||
| Roraima | 0 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.3% | ||
| Brazil | 683 | 100.0% | 3.2 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Where units go, by headquarters regionShare of the active CNPJs of the measured networks with a known headquarters, by region of the unit, excluding the headquarters CNPJ. Headquarters regions with fewer than 5 networks are left out of the rows and included in the total. A cell with fewer than 5 networks, or in which a single network accounts for more than half of the units, appears as omitted.
| Headquarters region | Networks | Units | Southeast | South | Northeast | Center-West | North |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headquartered in the Southeast | 167 | 24,550 | 53.8% | 11.8% | 18.1% | 10.4% | 5.9% |
| Headquartered in the South | 44 | 4,856 | 33.1% | 43.5% | 8.7% | 10.7% | 4.0% |
| Headquartered in the Northeast | 18 | 1,339 | 26.4% | 5.2% | 51.6% | 9.0% | 7.8% |
| Headquartered in the Center-West | 12 | 1,396 | omitted | omitted | omitted | 35.7% | 7.3% |
| All measured networks with a known headquarters | 241 | 32,141 | 48.7% | 16.2% | 17.9% | 11.5% | 5.8% |
| Estimated resident population in 2025 | 41.6% | 14.7% | 26.8% | 8.1% | 8.8% |
Where each region's units come fromFor each region, the share of units belonging to networks headquartered there and in other regions, with the number of units received and sent.
| Unit region | Units | From networks headquartered in the region | From networks headquartered elsewhere | From networks headquartered in the Southeast | Received from other regions | Sent to other regions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast | 15,645 | 84.5% | 15.5% | 2,431 | 11,336 | |
| South | 5,204 | 40.5% | 59.5% | 55.5% | 3,094 | 2,746 |
| Northeast | 5,738 | 12.0% | 88.0% | 77.3% | 5,047 | 648 |
| Center-West | 3,692 | 13.5% | 86.5% | 69.1% | 3,194 | 898 |
| North | 1,862 | 0.0% | 100.0% | 78.4% | 1,862 | 0 |
Networks with at least 5 units in each regionShare of the measured networks with a known headquarters, by headquarters region.
| Headquarters region | Networks | Southeast | South | Northeast | Center-West | North |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headquartered in the Southeast | 167 | 100.0% | 64.7% | 71.3% | 64.7% | 38.9% |
| Headquartered in the South | 44 | 81.8% | 97.7% | 54.5% | 54.5% | 31.8% |
| Headquartered in the Northeast | 18 | 61.1% | 33.3% | 100.0% | 50.0% | 44.4% |
| Headquartered in the Center-West | 12 | 66.7% | 41.7% | 50.0% | 100.0% | 33.3% |
Headquarters municipalitiesMunicipalities with at least 5 distinct franchisor CNPJs and no group holding more than half of the networks. The same CNPJ may be the headquarters of more than one network. Estimated population for 2025.
| Municipality | State | Type | Networks | Distinct CNPJs | Population | Networks per million inhabitants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | SP | state capital | 132 | 122 | 11,904,961 | 11.1 |
| Rio de Janeiro | RJ | state capital | 47 | 39 | 6,730,729 | 7.0 |
| São José do Rio Preto | SP | outside the state capital | 26 | 23 | 504,166 | 51.6 |
| Curitiba | PR | state capital | 25 | 25 | 1,830,795 | 13.7 |
| Barueri | SP | outside the state capital | 22 | 19 | 333,737 | 65.9 |
| Belo Horizonte | MG | state capital | 16 | 16 | 2,415,872 | 6.6 |
| Campinas | SP | outside the state capital | 15 | 15 | 1,187,974 | 12.6 |
| Balneário Camboriú | SC | outside the state capital | 12 | 12 | 151,674 | 79.1 |
| Porto Alegre | RS | state capital | 12 | 12 | 1,388,794 | 8.6 |
| Goiânia | GO | state capital | 11 | 11 | 1,503,256 | 7.3 |
| Londrina | PR | outside the state capital | 9 | 9 | 581,382 | 15.5 |
| Fortaleza | CE | state capital | 8 | 8 | 2,578,483 | 3.1 |
| Joinville | SC | outside the state capital | 8 | 8 | 664,541 | 12.0 |
| Maringá | PR | outside the state capital | 8 | 8 | 429,660 | 18.6 |
| Recife | PE | state capital | 8 | 8 | 1,588,376 | 5.0 |
| Serra | ES | outside the state capital | 8 | 7 | 579,720 | 13.8 |
| Brasília | DF | state capital | 7 | 7 | 2,996,899 | 2.3 |
| Santana de Parnaíba | SP | outside the state capital | 7 | 7 | 163,787 | 42.7 |
| Jundiaí | SP | outside the state capital | 6 | 6 | 463,039 | 13.0 |
| São Bernardo do Campo | SP | outside the state capital | 6 | 6 | 841,154 | 7.1 |
| Itajaí | SC | outside the state capital | 5 | 5 | 294,850 | 17.0 |
| Natal | RN | state capital | 5 | 5 | 784,249 | 6.4 |
| Ribeirão Preto | SP | outside the state capital | 5 | 5 | 731,639 | 6.8 |
| Salvador | BA | state capital | 5 | 5 | 2,564,204 | 1.9 |
| São Caetano do Sul | SP | outside the state capital | 5 | 5 | 172,693 | 29.0 |
| São José dos Campos | SP | outside the state capital | 5 | 5 | 727,078 | 6.9 |
| Uberlândia | MG | outside the state capital | 5 | 5 | 761,835 | 6.6 |
Headquarters region by segmentShare of networks in each segment. Cells with fewer than 5 networks are not published.
| Segment | Networks | São Paulo | Southeast | South | Northeast | Center-West | North |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services and other businesses | 213 | 47.4% | 65.3% | 23.9% | 7.5% | 2.3% | fewer than 5 |
| Health, beauty and wellness | 121 | 38.8% | 57.0% | 23.1% | 13.2% | 6.6% | 0 |
| Fashion and accessories | 116 | 44.8% | 64.7% | 19.8% | 6.9% | 6.0% | fewer than 5 |
| Food | 110 | 41.8% | 65.5% | 21.8% | 7.3% | 4.5% | fewer than 5 |
| Education | 39 | 46.2% | 59.0% | 35.9% | fewer than 5 | fewer than 5 | 0 |
| Food, retail and distribution | 37 | 54.1% | 70.3% | 29.7% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyms and sports | 36 | 47.2% | 61.1% | 30.6% | fewer than 5 | fewer than 5 | 0 |
| Tourism and hospitality | 11 | 63.6% | 72.7% | fewer than 5 | fewer than 5 | 0 | 0 |
| All networks | 683 | 45.1% | 63.5% | 23.9% | 7.8% | 4.0% | 0.9% |
| Estimated resident population in 2025 | 21.6% | 41.6% | 14.7% | 26.8% | 8.1% | 8.8% |
Headquarters region by decade of the first unitNetworks with a known headquarters and at least 5 CNPJs, by decade of the first identified unit.
| First unit | Networks | São Paulo | Southeast | South | Northeast | Center-West | North |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1979 | 13 | 38.5% | 92.3% | 0 | 0 | fewer than 5 | 0 |
| 1980s | 19 | 36.8% | 68.4% | fewer than 5 | fewer than 5 | fewer than 5 | 0 |
| 1990s | 82 | 46.3% | 67.1% | 23.2% | 7.3% | fewer than 5 | 0 |
| 2000s | 123 | 49.6% | 68.3% | 21.1% | 5.7% | 4.9% | 0 |
| 2010s | 241 | 40.2% | 59.3% | 23.7% | 11.6% | 4.1% | fewer than 5 |
| Since 2020 | 79 | 46.8% | 55.7% | 34.2% | fewer than 5 | fewer than 5 | fewer than 5 |
Some franchise networks publish the franchisor's CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) on their own website, and the records of Receita Federal (the federal tax authority) give the municipality of that establishment. The indicator uses this data to describe where networks are headquartered, relative to the population, and where each region's units go, as a complement to the expansion radius of the networks, which measures the distance between each unit and the headquarters.
Of the 683 networks with an identified headquarters, 308 are in the state of São Paulo, equivalent to 45.1%, compared with 21.6% of the population, 36.8% of the local units in CNAE (national classification of economic activities) class 77.40-3 and 26.3% of the units of the measured networks, and the city of São Paulo hosts 132 of them, or 19.3%. The national average is 3.2 networks per million inhabitants, with 7.6 in Santa Catarina, the highest among states with at least 5 networks. State capitals account for 43.3% of headquarters. Outside them, São José do Rio Preto concentrates 26 networks, a number exceeded only by São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and Balneário Camboriú reaches 79.1 networks per million inhabitants, compared with 11.1 in the city of São Paulo.
In the 241 measured networks with a known headquarters, 48.6% of the 32,141 active units are in a region other than that of the headquarters. The Northeast has 26.8% of the population, 17.9% of these units and 7.8% of headquarters. In the region, 88.0% of units belong to networks headquartered in other regions, and 71.3% of networks headquartered in the Southeast have at least 5 units in the Northeast.
How we calculate
We started from the CNPJ that 699 of the 2,155 networks in the observatory's universe publish as franchisor, recorded in the curation with the source page, and looked up each one in the open CNPJ data of Receita Federal, reference month October 2026. The 683 networks whose CNPJ is active and whose legal nature is not that of an association remain, corresponding to 643 CNPJs, because the same CNPJ may be the headquarters of more than one brand. The population is the IBGE (the national statistics institute) estimate for 2025, in SIDRA table 6579, and the local units in class 77.40-3 are those of 2024, in the Cadastro Central de Empresas (central business register).
The flow considers the active CNPJs that the observatory's census attributes to the measured networks with a known headquarters, 241 networks, by the trade name expression and by the CNAE subclasses of the network profile, excluding the headquarters CNPJ. The region is that of the state of each establishment. A network counts as present in a region from 5 units onward, to reduce the effect of namesakes.
What this figure does not show
- Only networks that publish their CNPJ are included, 32.4% of the universe, and the others may be distributed differently. The comparison with class 77.40-3, which does not depend on publication, indicates the order of magnitude of this effect in the state of São Paulo.
- The published CNPJ may belong to a holding company, a group company or a branch (40 cases), and the tax address may differ from the place of operation. Municipalities with a concentration of offices may reflect that choice.
- The flow is a snapshot as of October 2026, with no date of entry into the region, and the share depends on network size, so that large networks weigh more. Including the 511 networks with a known headquarters and at least 5 active CNPJs, the share outside the headquarters region is 48.1%.
- Namesakes attributed by the name expression may appear as units far from headquarters, and units registered only under the legal name are not included.
- A state or municipality with few networks may change position with a single headquarters. Cells with fewer than 5 networks are not published, and 5 states have no network with an identified headquarters in this set.
Frequently asked questions
In which state are Brazilian franchisors headquartered?
The state of São Paulo has 45.1% of the 683 franchise networks that publish the franchisor's CNPJ (Brazilian company registry), followed by Santa Catarina, with 9.1%. Per inhabitant, the highest concentration is in Santa Catarina, with 7.6 networks per million, compared with 3.2 for the country average. The data come from the Franquias em Dados observatory, based on the records of Receita Federal (the federal tax authority).
Which cities outside state capitals have the most franchisors?
Outside state capitals, São José do Rio Preto, with 26 networks, is the leading headquarters municipality among networks that publish the franchisor's CNPJ (Brazilian company registry). Balneário Camboriú has the highest concentration per inhabitant, with 79.1 networks per million. The count considers the registered address of the published CNPJ, which may differ from the place of operation.
Are franchise networks from the Southeast present in the Northeast?
Of the measured networks headquartered in the Southeast, 71.3% have at least 5 units in the Northeast, and the region receives 18.1% of these networks' units, compared with 26.8% of Brazil's population. Across the Northeast as a whole, 88.0% of units belong to networks headquartered in other regions.
Report an error on this page (in Portuguese)
Where the units are and who operates themOther indicators in the same group
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.