Education in Pernambuco, Brazil: official figures
Schools in Pernambuco scored 6.0 out of 10 on the Ideb basic education index for the early primary years (grades 1 to 5) in 2025, joint 10th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 6.3); the score was 5.7 in 2023 and 3.2 in 2005.
What is the Ideb score of Pernambuco?
For the lower secondary years (grades 6 to 9), Pernambuco's Ideb score was 5.1 in 2025, joint 11th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3), compared with 5.0 in 2023.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education · saved copyHow good are high schools in Pernambuco?
Pernambuco's Ideb score for upper secondary school (ensino medio) was 4.7 in 2025, joint 6th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 4.5); it was 4.0 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 Pernambuco?
10.1% of people aged 15 and over in Pernambuco could not read and write a simple note in 2024, 8th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3%); in 2019 the rate was 11.1%.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many people in Pernambuco have a degree?
14.7% of adults aged 25 and over in Pernambuco had completed higher education in 2024, 6th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 20.4%), while 40.4% 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 Pernambuco have?
Young adults aged 18 to 29 in Pernambuco had spent 11.4 years in education on average in 2024, and 70.6% 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 Pernambuco?
73.0% of young people in Pernambuco had completed upper secondary school by the expected age range in 2024 (78.4% of women and 67.1% of men), 12th highest 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 Pernambuco go to university?
In 2024, 76.4% of 15- to 17-year-olds in Pernambuco were in upper secondary school or had finished it, and 23.1% 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 Pernambuco go to nursery?
31.1% of children aged 0 to 3 in Pernambuco attended a creche (day nursery) in 2024, 8th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 39.7%), and 95.3% of 4- and 5-year-olds attended pre-school.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow big are school classes in Pernambuco?
Public school classes in Pernambuco had an average of 22.2 pupils in the early primary years, 29.4 in the lower secondary years and 33.9 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 Pernambuco compares with other states
Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) (2025)
Pernambuco ranks 17 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Rio de Janeiro | 6.1 |
| 15 | Paraiba | 6.1 |
| 16 | Rondonia | 6.1 |
| 17 | Pernambuco | 6.0 |
| 18 | Amazonas | 6.0 |
| 19 | Mato Grosso do Sul | 5.9 |
| 20 | Tocantins | 5.9 |
Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) (2025)
Pernambuco ranks 12 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Piaui | 5.4 |
| 10 | Alagoas | 5.3 |
| 11 | Rio de Janeiro | 5.1 |
| 12 | Pernambuco | 5.1 |
| 13 | Mato Grosso | 5.1 |
| 14 | Distrito Federal | 5.1 |
| 15 | Mato Grosso do Sul | 5.0 |
Ideb, upper secondary school (2025)
Pernambuco ranks 7 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, upper secondary school |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Espirito Santo | 4.9 |
| 5 | Goias | 4.8 |
| 6 | Sao Paulo | 4.7 |
| 7 | Pernambuco | 4.7 |
| 8 | Minas Gerais | 4.6 |
| 9 | Para | 4.6 |
| 10 | Ceara | 4.5 |
Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) (2024)
Pernambuco ranks 8 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Maranhao | 11.2% |
| 6 | Sergipe | 10.8% |
| 7 | Rio Grande do Norte | 10.5% |
| 8 | Pernambuco | 10.1% |
| 9 | Bahia | 9.9% |
| 10 | Acre | 9.4% |
| 11 | Para | 6.6% |
Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) (2024)
Pernambuco ranks 22 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Piaui | 15.3% |
| 20 | Paraiba | 15.3% |
| 21 | Sergipe | 15.1% |
| 22 | Pernambuco | 14.7% |
| 23 | Para | 14.2% |
| 24 | Alagoas | 14.1% |
| 25 | Ceara | 13.7% |
Upper secondary completion rate (%) (2024)
Pernambuco ranks 12 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Upper secondary completion rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Tocantins | 75.0% |
| 10 | Espirito Santo | 74.6% |
| 11 | Mato Grosso do Sul | 74.1% |
| 12 | Pernambuco | 73.0% |
| 13 | Santa Catarina | 72.8% |
| 14 | Minas Gerais | 72.6% |
| 15 | Maranhao | 72.1% |
More on Pernambuco: 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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