Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Brazil

Brazil: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 97.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
97.8%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
80th
of 209 countries
All-time high
97.8%
in 2024
All-time low
0.9%
in 1820
Years of data
45
1820–2024

Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Brazil, 1820–2024

0204060801001820192220241820: 0.86 %1825: 1.1 %1830: 1.4 %1835: 1.7 %1840: 2.2 %1845: 2.7 %1850: 3.4 %1855: 4.2 %1860: 5.3 %1865: 6.6 %1870: 8.2 %1875: 9.3 %1880: 9.9 %1885: 9.8 %1890: 9.6 %1895: 11.7 %1900: 13.7 %1905: 15.7 %1910: 17.1 %1915: 18.5 %1920: 19.9 %1925: 28.9 %1930: 29.5 %1935: 32.9 %1940: 38 %1945: 54.6 %1950: 37.8 %1955: 44.5 %1960: 76.7 %1965: 87.1 %1970: 62 %1975: 71 %1980: 81 %2012: 93.5 %2013: 95.5 %2014: 95.6 %2015: 95.2 %2016: 95.6 %2017: 95.8 %2018: 95.3 %2019: 96.1 %2020: 95.9 %2021: 95.2 %2022: 96.7 %2024: 97.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Brazil is 97.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Brazil peaked at 97.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1820.

Brazil ranks 80th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1820s 1.0% 0.9% 1.1% 2
1830s 1.5% 1.4% 1.7% 2
1840s 2.4% 2.2% 2.7% 2
1850s 3.8% 3.4% 4.2% 2
1860s 6.0% 5.3% 6.6% 2
1870s 8.7% 8.2% 9.3% 2
1880s 9.8% 9.8% 9.9% 2
1890s 10.6% 9.6% 11.7% 2
1900s 14.7% 13.7% 15.7% 2
1910s 17.8% 17.1% 18.5% 2
1920s 24.4% 19.9% 28.9% 2
1930s 31.2% 29.5% 32.9% 2
1940s 46.3% 38.0% 54.6% 2
1950s 41.2% 37.8% 44.5% 2
1960s 81.9% 76.7% 87.1% 2
1970s 66.5% 62.0% 71.0% 2
1980s 81.0% 81.0% 81.0% 1
2010s 95.3% 93.5% 96.1% 8
2020s 96.4% 95.2% 97.8% 4

Countries ranked near Brazil

  1. 77 Italy 97.9% compare
  2. 78 Bosnia and Herzegovina 97.9% compare
  3. 79 Chile 97.9% compare
  4. 81 Anguilla 97.6% compare
  5. 82 Fiji 97.6% compare
  6. 83 Andorra 97.6% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Brazil

All data for Brazil →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Brazil?
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Brazil was 97.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Brazil?
The highest recorded value was 97.8% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Brazil?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1820.
How does Brazil rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
Brazil ranks 80th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Brazil?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Brazil data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of children in primary school age who are in school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
209 places, 8,478 data points, 1820–2025
Last refreshed

The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.