{"id":285546,"date":"2025-01-20T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T12:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=285546"},"modified":"2025-01-20T06:27:51","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T06:27:51","slug":"brics-expands-to-54-6-of-world-population-by-adding-nigeria-africas-most-populous-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/01\/brics-expands-to-54-6-of-world-population-by-adding-nigeria-africas-most-populous-country\/","title":{"rendered":"BRICS Expands to 54.6% of World Population by Adding Nigeria, Africa\u2019s Most Populous Country"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><em>BRICS added as a new partner Nigeria, Africa\u2019s most populous country, with the 6th-biggest population on Earth. BRICS+ now has 10 members and 9 partners, which make up 54.6% of the world population and 42.2% of global GDP (PPP).<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>19 Jan 2025 <\/em>&#8211; BRICS continues to grow. On 17 January, it officially admitted Nigeria as a new partner country.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria has the world\u2019s sixth-largest population, with the biggest population on the African continent.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to being Africa\u2019s second-largest economy, Nigeria is the number one oil producer on the continent.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"BRICS expands to 55% of world population by adding Nigeria, Africa&#039;s most populous country\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZNNrMP_1E9g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With the addition of Nigeria, BRICS now has 10 full members and nine partners.<\/p>\n<p>Together, the extended BRICS+ group represents 54.6% of the world population.<\/p>\n<p>The 10 members are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Brazil<\/li>\n<li>Russia<\/li>\n<li>India<\/li>\n<li>China<\/li>\n<li>South Africa<\/li>\n<li>Egypt<\/li>\n<li>Ethiopia<\/li>\n<li>Indonesia<\/li>\n<li>Iran<\/li>\n<li>United Arab Emirates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The nine BRICS partners, which are on the path to full membership, include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Belarus<\/li>\n<li>Bolivia<\/li>\n<li>Cuba<\/li>\n<li>Kazakhstan<\/li>\n<li>Malaysia<\/li>\n<li>Nigeria<\/li>\n<li>Thailand<\/li>\n<li>Uganda<\/li>\n<li>Uzbekistan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Brazil, which is the chair of BRICS in 2025, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.br\/mre\/en\/contact-us\/press-area\/press-releases\/nigeria-joins-brics-as-a-partner-country\" >announced Nigeria\u2019s admission<\/a> on 17 January. Brasilia emphasized that BRICS has two main goals: \u201cstrengthening South-South cooperation\u201d and \u201creforming global governance\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2025\/01\/07\/brics-adds-indonesia-member-economy\/\" >Indonesia, the world\u2019s fourth-most populous country<\/a> with the seventh-largest economy, was also accepted as a BRICS member in early January.<\/p>\n<p>At the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia in 2024, the organization adopted a comprehensive <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2024\/10\/19\/brics-russia-multi-currency-system-us-dollar\/\" >plan to transform the international monetary and financial system<\/a>, by challenging the dominance of the US dollar and promoting trade and settlement in local currencies.<\/p>\n<p>A map of BRICS membership, as of 19 January 2025, looks as follows:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13838\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-members-partners-map-Nigeria-19-January-2025.jpg?resize=880%2C495&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-members-partners-map-Nigeria-19-January-2025.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-members-partners-map-Nigeria-19-January-2025.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-members-partners-map-Nigeria-19-January-2025.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-members-partners-map-Nigeria-19-January-2025.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-members-partners-map-Nigeria-19-January-2025.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-members-partners-map-Nigeria-19-January-2025.jpg?resize=600%2C337&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-members-partners-map-Nigeria-19-January-2025.jpg?w=1760&amp;ssl=1 1760w\" alt=\"BRICS members partners map Nigeria 19 January 2025\" width=\"880\" height=\"495\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>BRICS+ is nearly 55% of the global population<\/h3>\n<p>Ten of the 20 <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worldometers.info\/world-population\/population-by-country\/\" >most populous countries on Earth<\/a> are part of BRICS, including seven of the 10 most populous nations.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria is expected to have the second-largest growth in population in the upcoming decade, after BRICS co-founder India.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria\u2019s population is estimated to increase by 65 million from 2024 to 2037, and the country\u2019s biggest city, Lagos, has been described as a candidate for \u201cthe <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.visualcapitalist.com\/mapped-top-10-countries-driving-future-population-growth\/\" >world\u2019s top megacity<\/a> by the end of the century\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The three most populous countries in Africa are now part of BRICS: Nigeria, in first, is a partner; while Ethiopia, in second, and Egypt, in third, became full members in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The extended BRICS+ family, with 19 members and partners, together comprise 54.6% of the global population.<\/p>\n<p>This is according to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imf.org\/external\/datamapper\/LP@WEO\/OEMDC\/ADVEC\/WEOWORLD\" >IMF data from October 2024<\/a>, which reported the total world population as 7.92 billion, and BRICS countries with a combined population of 4.32 billion. (Cuba is excluded from IMF data, so the actual figure is slightly higher.)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13839\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-countries-population-january-2025.png?resize=880%2C569&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-countries-population-january-2025.png?w=1700&amp;ssl=1 1700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-countries-population-january-2025.png?resize=300%2C194&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-countries-population-january-2025.png?resize=1024%2C663&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-countries-population-january-2025.png?resize=768%2C497&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-countries-population-january-2025.png?resize=1536%2C994&amp;ssl=1 1536w\" alt=\"BRICS 19 members partners countries population january 2025\" width=\"880\" height=\"569\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Africa will make up 38% of world population by 2100<\/h3>\n<p>Africa\u2019s share of the global population is going to grow significantly in the 21st century. As <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/region-population-2100\" >Our World in Data reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In 2023, Africa is home to around 18% of the global population; by 2100 this is projected to rise to 38%. Asia will see a significant fall from almost 60% today to around 45% in 2100.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the century, more than 8 out of every 10 people in the world will live in Asia or Africa.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13858\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Africa-Asia-population-share-world-2100.png?resize=880%2C700&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Africa-Asia-population-share-world-2100.png?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Africa-Asia-population-share-world-2100.png?resize=300%2C239&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Africa-Asia-population-share-world-2100.png?resize=1024%2C814&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Africa-Asia-population-share-world-2100.png?resize=768%2C611&amp;ssl=1 768w\" alt=\"Africa Asia population share world 2100\" width=\"880\" height=\"700\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>BRICS+ is 42.2% of global GDP (PPP)<\/h3>\n<p>Accompanying BRICS\u2019 increasing population is its growing share of the global economy.<\/p>\n<p>With Nigeria added, BRICS members and partners now make up 42.2% of world GDP, when\u00a0measured at purchasing power parity (PPP), based on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imf.org\/external\/datamapper\/PPPGDP@WEO\/OEMDC\/ADVEC\/WEOWORLD\" >October 2024 IMF data<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13840\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-share-percentage-global-economy-GDP-PPP.png?resize=880%2C569&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-share-percentage-global-economy-GDP-PPP.png?w=1700&amp;ssl=1 1700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-share-percentage-global-economy-GDP-PPP.png?resize=300%2C194&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-share-percentage-global-economy-GDP-PPP.png?resize=1024%2C663&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-share-percentage-global-economy-GDP-PPP.png?resize=768%2C497&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/BRICS-19-members-partners-share-percentage-global-economy-GDP-PPP.png?resize=1536%2C994&amp;ssl=1 1536w\" alt=\"BRICS 19 members partners share percentage global economy GDP PPP\" width=\"880\" height=\"569\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Africa\u2019s largest economies<\/h3>\n<p>Nigeria has the second-largest economy in Africa, after Egypt, which became a BRICS member in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The third-biggest economy on the continent is South Africa, which joined BRICS in 2010, just a year after it was initially founded as \u201cBRIC\u201d, by Brazil, Russia, India, and China.<\/p>\n<p>Africa\u2019s fourth-largest economy, Algeria, was invited to become a BRICS partner at the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2024\/10\/26\/brics-13-partner-countries-summit-kazan-russia\/\" >2024 summit in Kazan, Russia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The continent\u2019s fifth-biggest economy, Ethiopia, also became a BRICS member in 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13846\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/africa-5-largest-economies-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=880%2C324&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/africa-5-largest-economies-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?w=2371&amp;ssl=1 2371w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/africa-5-largest-economies-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/africa-5-largest-economies-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=1024%2C377&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/africa-5-largest-economies-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=768%2C283&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/africa-5-largest-economies-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=1536%2C566&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/africa-5-largest-economies-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=2048%2C755&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/africa-5-largest-economies-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?w=1760&amp;ssl=1 1760w\" alt=\"africa 5 largest economies GDP PPP IMF 2024\" width=\"880\" height=\"324\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Nigeria\u2019s economy is larger than that of the Netherlands, when GDP is measured at purchasing power parity.<\/p>\n<p>The economy of BRICS member Egypt is bigger than that of Australia.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13847\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/egypt-nigeria-australia-netherlands-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=880%2C331&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/egypt-nigeria-australia-netherlands-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?w=2383&amp;ssl=1 2383w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/egypt-nigeria-australia-netherlands-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=300%2C113&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/egypt-nigeria-australia-netherlands-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=1024%2C385&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/egypt-nigeria-australia-netherlands-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=768%2C288&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/egypt-nigeria-australia-netherlands-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=1536%2C577&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/egypt-nigeria-australia-netherlands-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?resize=2048%2C769&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/egypt-nigeria-australia-netherlands-GDP-PPP-IMF-2024.png?w=1760&amp;ssl=1 1760w\" alt=\"egypt nigeria australia netherlands GDP PPP IMF 2024\" width=\"880\" height=\"331\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>BRICS is growing especially influential in global commodities markets.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria is the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1178514\/main-oil-producing-countries-in-africa\/\" >top oil producer<\/a> on the African continent, and the 15th-biggest crude producer on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Five of the world\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worldometers.info\/oil\/oil-production-by-country\/\" >top 10 oil-producing countries<\/a> are members of BRICS. Together, they represent more than 30% of global oil production, and BRICS+ has significant overlap with OPEC+.<\/p>\n<p>If BRICS can de-dollarize part of the global oil market, it can take a big step toward <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2024\/10\/19\/brics-russia-multi-currency-system-us-dollar\/\" >challenging the dominance of the US dollar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\">_____________________________________<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Ben-Norton-e1718167490228.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-264055\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Ben-Norton-e1718167490228.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a> <i>Benjamin Norton is an investigative journalist, analyst, writer and filmmaker. He is the founder and editor of <\/i>Multipolarista<i> and is based in Latin America.<\/i><i> <\/i><span lang=\"es-ES\"><i>His website: <\/i><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/BenNorton.com\/\" ><span lang=\"es-ES\"><i>BenNorton.com<\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><span lang=\"es-ES\"><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/span><i> <\/i><em><span lang=\"es-ES\">(<\/span><\/em><em><span lang=\"es-ES\">Publicaciones<\/span><\/em> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaeconomica.com\/author\/benjamin-norton\/\" ><span lang=\"es-ES\"><i>en espa\u00f1ol aqu\u00ed<\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><em><span lang=\"es-ES\">.)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2025\/01\/19\/brics-expands-population-nigeria-africa\/\" >Go to Original \u2013 geopoliticaleconomy.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>19 Jan 2025 &#8211; BRICS added Nigeria with the 6th-biggest population on Earth. BRICS+ now has 10 members and 9 partners, which make up 54.6% of the world population and 42.2% of global GDP.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":285548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[237,239,1845],"class_list":["post-285546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brics","tag-africa","tag-brics","tag-nigeria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285546"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":285553,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285546\/revisions\/285553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}