BRICS, an economic bloc which sees itself as a counterweight to Western economic domination, derives its name from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc has previously indicated it is open to expansion.
"Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS to become a full member of the group, there's an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members," South Africa's ambassador-at-large for Asia and the BRICS, Anil Sooklal, told media in Johannesburg.
He listed Iran, Argentina, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia among nations that have expressed an interest.
According to Sooklal, growing interest in the bloc is not new but reflects the "confidence" in the work that BRICS has been "championing" over nearly a decade and a half.
"The current global architecture continues to be unequal, continues to marginalize developing countries [...] and continues to be dominated by a few hegemons. We don't want such a world. We want a world where our voices are heard," he stressed.
South Africa will host the BRICS summit in Johannesburg between August 22-24 to which a total of 69 countries have been invited, including all African states.
French leader Emmanuel Macron has asked to attend the summit but no decision has been reached yet on that request.
"There is high interest in the summit [...]. BRICS is a consensus entity, it's not South Africa's decision alone, this has to be consulted," said Sooklal, adding that Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor "is busy with that process".
Formally launched in 2009, BRICS now accounts for 23% of global GDP and 42% of the world's population, according to the summit's website.