Education in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: official figures
Schools in Rio de Janeiro 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 5.9 in 2023 and 4.3 in 2005.
What is the Ideb score of Rio de Janeiro?
For the lower secondary years (grades 6 to 9), Rio de Janeiro's Ideb score was 5.1 in 2025, joint 11th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3), compared with 4.9 in 2023.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education · saved copyHow good are high schools in Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro's Ideb score for upper secondary school (ensino medio) was 4.2 in 2025, joint 7th lowest 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 Rio de Janeiro?
2.0% of people aged 15 and over in Rio de Janeiro could not read and write a simple note in 2024, 3rd lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3%); in 2019 the rate was 1.9%.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many people in Rio de Janeiro have a degree?
25.5% of adults aged 25 and over in Rio de Janeiro had completed higher education in 2024, 3rd highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 20.4%), while 22.9% 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 Rio de Janeiro have?
Young adults aged 18 to 29 in Rio de Janeiro had spent 12.2 years in education on average in 2024, and 79.0% 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 Rio de Janeiro?
79.8% of young people in Rio de Janeiro had completed upper secondary school by the expected age range in 2024 (84.9% of women and 74.1% of men), 3rd 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 Rio de Janeiro go to university?
In 2024, 74.9% of 15- to 17-year-olds in Rio de Janeiro were in upper secondary school or had finished it, and 31.6% 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 Rio de Janeiro go to nursery?
39.1% of children aged 0 to 3 in Rio de Janeiro attended a creche (day nursery) in 2024, 7th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 39.7%), and 94.2% of 4- and 5-year-olds attended pre-school.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow big are school classes in Rio de Janeiro?
Public school classes in Rio de Janeiro had an average of 24.2 pupils in the early primary years, 29.5 in the lower secondary years and 28.2 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 Rio de Janeiro compares with other states
Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) (2025)
Rio de Janeiro ranks 14 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Mato Grosso | 6.3 |
| 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 |
Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) (2025)
Rio de Janeiro ranks 11 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Espirito Santo | 5.4 |
| 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 |
Ideb, upper secondary school (2025)
Rio de Janeiro ranks 18 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, upper secondary school |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Alagoas | 4.3 |
| 16 | Sergipe | 4.3 |
| 17 | Tocantins | 4.3 |
| 18 | Rio de Janeiro | 4.2 |
| 19 | Rio Grande do Norte | 4.2 |
| 20 | Rondonia | 4.2 |
| 21 | Acre | 4.2 |
Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) (2024)
Rio de Janeiro ranks 25 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Goias | 3.6% |
| 22 | Parana | 3.6% |
| 23 | Rio Grande do Sul | 2.4% |
| 24 | Sao Paulo | 2.2% |
| 25 | Rio de Janeiro | 2.0% |
| 26 | Santa Catarina | 1.9% |
| 27 | Distrito Federal | 1.8% |
Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) (2024)
Rio de Janeiro ranks 3 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Distrito Federal | 38.9% |
| 2 | Sao Paulo | 25.8% |
| 3 | Rio de Janeiro | 25.5% |
| 4 | Amapa | 23.1% |
| 5 | Mato Grosso do Sul | 22.9% |
| 6 | Santa Catarina | 22.4% |
| 7 | Mato Grosso | 20.9% |
Upper secondary completion rate (%) (2024)
Rio de Janeiro ranks 3 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Upper secondary completion rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Distrito Federal | 85.4% |
| 2 | Sao Paulo | 84.0% |
| 3 | Rio de Janeiro | 79.8% |
| 4 | Goias | 79.7% |
| 5 | Amazonas | 79.1% |
| 6 | Ceara | 76.7% |
| 7 | Parana | 75.9% |
More on Rio de Janeiro: 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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