Paragraph 92 of the BRICS 2023 Head of State Summit declaration stated:

"We have also tasked our Foreign Ministers to further develop the BRICS partner

country model and a list of prospective partner countries and report by the next

Summit."

https://brics2023.gov.za/2023/07/05/summit-declarations/

News reports from before the 2023 summit stated that over 20 countries had formally applied for membership, and over 40 had expressed interest in joining. But only 6 countries were invited to join.

Partner Country would be a new status, less than full membership, but it's terms and exact meaning have not yet been finalised. Some have expressed doubt whether BRICS will go ahead with this approach or even pause expansion entirely. Others have suggested that BRICS may lose it's appeal over the next year, such that they struggle to attract new members or partners.

Notes in resolution:

For the purposes of resolution, the exact wording "Partner Country" is not essential. Any equivalent status which represents a formal status less than full membership will be accepted. If more than one status is given which meets this criteria then all will be included in the total. Any new full members will not be included.

The exact date of the 2024 summit is not yet known, but it is expected to be in Kazan, Russia, in October. The closing date for this question will be adjusted when the exact date is known and the question will close the day before the summit begins.

If no Head of State Summit is held in 2024, then the question will resolve to N/A.

Please ask if any further clarification is required.

I will be betting on this question, but I will keep my bets small relative to the total betting pool.

Check out this related question:

https://manifold.markets/Nosaix/how-many-new-brics-member-states-wi