11 answers, 5 from Brazil's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
4.9% of people aged 15 and over in Brazil could not read and write in 2025, according to IBGE's PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 7113), down from 5.3% in 2024. Among people aged 60 and over the rate was 13.8%.
The survey counts as literate anyone who can read and write a simple note in the language they know, so the measure does not capture functional literacy. Most adults who cannot read are older, which means the rate falls over time as younger, more schooled generations replace them. The figures have a margin of error because they come from a sample survey.
People aged 15 and over in Brazil had an average of 10.4 years of schooling in 2025, according to IBGE's PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 7126). For people aged 25 and over the average was 10.2 years.
Ten years is roughly equivalent to completing primary education (nine years) and one year of secondary school. The average rose from 10.2 years in 2024 for people aged 15 and over. Younger groups have more schooling than older ones, and the table also breaks the figure down by sex.
80.6% of 15 to 17-year-olds in Brazil were in secondary school (ensino médio) or had completed it in 2025, according to IBGE's adjusted net attendance rate (SIDRA table 7141). For 6 to 14-year-olds in primary school the rate was 96.1%, and 28.8% of 18 to 24-year-olds were in higher education or had completed it.
The adjusted net rate counts students attending the level meant for their age, or who have already finished it, so pupils who are behind a grade are not counted at the right level. It comes from IBGE's household survey; school enrolment counts are published separately by INEP's school census.
9.69 million people were studying for an undergraduate degree in Brazil in 2025, according to IBGE's PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 7143). 75.6% of them (7.33 million) were at private institutions and 24.4% (2.36 million) at public ones.
These figures come from a household survey and include distance learning. INEP's higher education census, based on returns from institutions, is the official count of enrolments and can differ from the survey estimate. The figures cover undergraduate courses only; the same table counts specialisation, master's and doctoral students separately.
81.3% of primary school students (ensino fundamental) and 85.2% of secondary school students in Brazil attended public schools in 2025, according to IBGE's PNAD Contínua (SIDRA table 7143). That is 21.4 million primary and 7.2 million secondary pupils in public schools.
Public schools are run mostly by municipalities (early years) and states (secondary). The balance is reversed in higher education, where three quarters of students are at private institutions. Official enrolment counts by school come from INEP's annual school census.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts net primary school enrolment in Brazil at 96.3% in 2017. Since 2005 it has ranged from 91.6% (2007) to 98.1% (2012). It is 4th highest of 24 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 93.9%. World rank, highest first: 42nd of 134.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2024, is 104.1%. The peak was 106.3% in 2021 and the low 94.6% in 2012. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 91.6%, and Brazil placed 6th highest of 22. Worldwide: 24th of 100.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts gross tertiary enrolment in Brazil at 69.7% in 2024. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2012. Latin America & Caribbean median: 38.0%; Brazil is 2nd highest of 12. Worldwide: 28th of 90.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the adult literacy rate in Brazil at 94.7% in 2024. The peak was 94.8% in 2021 and the low 89.6% in 2006. It is 7th highest of 13 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 94.7%.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts government spending on education in Brazil at 5.6% of GDP in 2022. Since 2005 it has ranged from 4.5% of GDP (2005) to 6.3% of GDP (2017). Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 4.0% of GDP, and Brazil placed 5th highest of 30. Worldwide: 28th of 155.
20: that is the number of primary pupils per teacher in Brazil for 2017, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Latin America & Caribbean median: 18; Brazil is 8th highest of 23. World rank, highest first: 58th of 130.
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