Share of the population with at least some formal education in Brazil
Brazil: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 95.8% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
95.8%
World rank
64th
of 111 countries
All-time high
95.8%
in 2020
All-time low
3.5%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Brazil, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with at least some formal education in Brazil stood at 95.8%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Brazil peaked at 95.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 1870.
That places Brazil 64th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 3.5% | — |
| 1875 | 4.4% | +25.7% |
| 1880 | 5.5% | +25.0% |
| 1885 | 6.5% | +18.2% |
| 1890 | 7.4% | +13.8% |
| 1895 | 8.1% | +9.5% |
| 1900 | 12.7% | +56.8% |
| 1905 | 15.5% | +22.0% |
| 1910 | 16.2% | +4.5% |
| 1915 | 18.6% | +14.8% |
| 1920 | 21.1% | +13.4% |
| 1925 | 23.1% | +9.5% |
| 1930 | 26.3% | +13.9% |
| 1935 | 29.6% | +12.5% |
| 1940 | 32.1% | +8.4% |
| 1945 | 34.2% | +6.5% |
| 1950 | 37.9% | +10.8% |
| 1955 | 43.2% | +14.0% |
| 1960 | 48.9% | +13.2% |
| 1965 | 55.7% | +13.9% |
| 1970 | 63.7% | +14.4% |
| 1975 | 73.4% | +15.2% |
| 1980 | 74.8% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 76.7% | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 79.8% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 82.9% | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 86.5% | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 90.5% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 93.1% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 94.6% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 95.8% | +1.3% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 95.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97.4%, 98% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 95.8% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 97.1%, 99% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 4.0% | 3.5% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 6.0% | 5.5% | 6.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 7.8% | 7.4% | 8.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 14.1% | 12.7% | 15.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 17.4% | 16.2% | 18.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 22.1% | 21.1% | 23.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 28.0% | 26.3% | 29.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 33.2% | 32.1% | 34.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 40.5% | 37.9% | 43.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 52.3% | 48.9% | 55.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 68.6% | 63.7% | 73.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 75.8% | 74.8% | 76.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 81.3% | 79.8% | 82.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 88.5% | 86.5% | 90.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 93.8% | 93.1% | 94.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 95.8% | 95.8% | 95.8% | 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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Brazil?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Brazil was 95.8% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 1870.
- How does Brazil rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Brazil ranks 64th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.