The original members of BRICS were Brazil, Russia, India, and China, which began meeting as BRIC in 2006 and held their first leaders' summit in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, giving the grouping its current acronym. BRICS expanded in 2024 with the admission of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia formally joined in January 2025. Official BRICS sources also list Saudi Arabia among the member states, although its status has been described inconsistently. In addition to its members, BRICS has a formal category of partner countries and uses several formats for engagement with other states and international organizations.