Saudia Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia joined the ranks of the BRICS group on Monday, January 1, 2024.

The newly expanded BRICS has a combined population of about 3.5 billion people, with a combined economy worth over $28.5tn or about 28% of the global economy

Russia took over the BRICS presidency on Monday, following on from South Africa’s chairmanship in 2023.

https://www.africanews.com/2024/01/02/brics-expansion-five-countries-join-ranks/?