Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil
Brazil: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes was 11.07 million in 2018. ▼ Falling
Latest (2018)
11.07 million
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
5th
of 59 countries
All-time high
13.07 million
in 2012
All-time low
11.07 million
in 2018
Years of data
7
2012–2018
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil, 2012–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Brazil recorded 11.07 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 15.3% over ten years.
Brazil ranks 5th of 59 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 13.07 million | — |
| 2013 | 13.05 million | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 12.84 million | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 12.52 million | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 11.48 million | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 11.19 million | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 11.07 million | -1.1% |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More education data for Brazil
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.02 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.44 million (2011)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.71 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.59 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 21.50 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.11 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1454 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0713 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil was 11.07 million in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 13.07 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.07 million in 2018.
- How does Brazil rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
- Brazil ranks 5th out of 59 countries with data for 2018.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release