Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil
Brazil: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 94.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Brazil recorded 94.7% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil peaked at 94.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 74.6%, in 1980.
Brazil ranks 37th of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 74.6% | — |
| 2000 | 86.4% | +15.8% |
| 2004 | 88.6% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 89.6% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 90.3% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 90.4% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 91.4% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 91.3% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 91.5% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 91.7% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 92.0% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 92.8% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 93.1% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 93.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 93.9% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 94.7% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 94.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 94.4% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 94.6% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 94.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.5%, 99% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 94.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 94.9%, 100% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 74.6% | 74.6% | 74.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 89.2% | 86.4% | 90.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 92.1% | 90.4% | 93.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.6% | 94.4% | 94.8% | 5 |
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 literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in Brazil was 94.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 94.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.6% in 1980.
- How does Brazil rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- Brazil ranks 37th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release