Education in Paraiba, Brazil: official figures
Schools in Paraiba scored 6.1 out of 10 on the Ideb basic education index for the early primary years (grades 1 to 5) in 2025, joint 14th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 6.3); the score was 5.7 in 2023 and 3.0 in 2005.
What is the Ideb score of Paraiba?
For the lower secondary years (grades 6 to 9), Paraiba's Ideb score was 4.9 in 2025, joint 9th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3), compared with 4.5 in 2023.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education · saved copyHow good are high schools in Paraiba?
Paraiba's Ideb score for upper secondary school (ensino medio) was 4.4 in 2025, joint 12th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 4.5); it was 3.4 in 2015. The Ideb combines pass rates with Saeb test results in Portuguese and mathematics.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education · saved copyWhat is the literacy rate in Paraiba?
12.7% of people aged 15 and over in Paraiba could not read and write a simple note in 2024, 3rd highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3%); in 2019 the rate was 15.1%.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many people in Paraiba have a degree?
15.3% of adults aged 25 and over in Paraiba had completed higher education in 2024, 8th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 20.4%), while 45.2% had no schooling or had not finished primary school (Brazil: 32.0%).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many years of schooling do young people in Paraiba have?
Young adults aged 18 to 29 in Paraiba had spent 11.4 years in education on average in 2024, and 67.6% had at least 12 years of schooling (Brazil: 11.9 years and 74.2%).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyWhat is the high school graduation rate in Paraiba?
69.4% of young people in Paraiba had completed upper secondary school by the expected age range in 2024 (75.2% of women and 64.1% of men), 7th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 75.1%).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many young people in Paraiba go to university?
In 2024, 69.8% of 15- to 17-year-olds in Paraiba were in upper secondary school or had finished it, and 25.8% of 18- to 24-year-olds were in or had completed higher education (adjusted net attendance; Brazil: 76.8% and 27.3%).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many young children in Paraiba go to nursery?
35.2% of children aged 0 to 3 in Paraiba attended a creche (day nursery) in 2024, 10th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 39.7%), and 90.0% of 4- and 5-year-olds attended pre-school.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow big are school classes in Paraiba?
Public school classes in Paraiba had an average of 20.6 pupils in the early primary years, 25.6 in the lower secondary years and 27.6 in upper secondary school in 2024 (School Census; Brazil: 22.3, 26.6 and 29.3).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow Paraiba compares with other states
Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) (2025)
Paraiba ranks 15 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Piaui | 6.3 |
| 13 | Acre | 6.3 |
| 14 | Rio de Janeiro | 6.1 |
| 15 | Paraiba | 6.1 |
| 16 | Rondonia | 6.1 |
| 17 | Pernambuco | 6.0 |
| 18 | Amazonas | 6.0 |
Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) (2025)
Paraiba ranks 16 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Mato Grosso | 5.1 |
| 14 | Distrito Federal | 5.1 |
| 15 | Mato Grosso do Sul | 5.0 |
| 16 | Paraiba | 4.9 |
| 17 | Amazonas | 4.9 |
| 18 | Tocantins | 4.9 |
| 19 | Acre | 4.9 |
Ideb, upper secondary school (2025)
Paraiba ranks 12 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, upper secondary school |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Para | 4.6 |
| 10 | Ceara | 4.5 |
| 11 | Santa Catarina | 4.5 |
| 12 | Paraiba | 4.4 |
| 13 | Mato Grosso | 4.4 |
| 14 | Mato Grosso do Sul | 4.4 |
| 15 | Alagoas | 4.3 |
Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) (2024)
Paraiba ranks 3 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alagoas | 14.2% |
| 2 | Piaui | 13.8% |
| 3 | Paraiba | 12.7% |
| 4 | Ceara | 11.8% |
| 5 | Maranhao | 11.2% |
| 6 | Sergipe | 10.8% |
| 7 | Rio Grande do Norte | 10.5% |
Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) (2024)
Paraiba ranks 20 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Rio Grande do Norte | 17.2% |
| 18 | Rondonia | 16.7% |
| 19 | Piaui | 15.3% |
| 20 | Paraiba | 15.3% |
| 21 | Sergipe | 15.1% |
| 22 | Pernambuco | 14.7% |
| 23 | Para | 14.2% |
Upper secondary completion rate (%) (2024)
Paraiba ranks 21 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Upper secondary completion rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Piaui | 70.6% |
| 19 | Alagoas | 69.5% |
| 20 | Amapa | 69.4% |
| 21 | Paraiba | 69.4% |
| 22 | Bahia | 67.7% |
| 23 | Rondonia | 66.4% |
| 24 | Para | 64.4% |
More on Paraiba: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · Brazil
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025: results for regions and federative units (early primary, lower secondary and upper secondary, all school networks), 2005-2025, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a8ecdb2cef93…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE): Sintese de Indicadores Sociais 2025, chapter 4 tables (education): Tables 4.1, 4.3, 4.9, 4.11, 4.14, 4.21, 4.22 (PNAD Continua 2024; School Census 2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fc0eefb8a6ad…)
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