What share of adults in Oaxaca have a university education?

17.0% of people aged 15 and over in Oaxaca had higher education in 2025 (2nd lowest of 32; Mexico 24.5%) and 20.5% had upper secondary as their highest level. 8.2% had no schooling (Mexico 3.9%).

What share of young people in Oaxaca attend school?

In 2025, 94.9% of children aged 6 to 14 in Oaxaca attended school (Mexico 96.0%), as did 81.1% of those aged 3 to 5 and 30.9% of young people aged 15 to 29 (6th lowest of 32 for that age group; Mexico 34.4%).

Education in Oaxaca, Mexico: official figures

People aged 15 and over in Oaxaca had completed 8.74 years of schooling on average in October 2025 (2nd lowest of 32; Mexico 10.26), up from 8.12 at the 2020 census and 5.62 in 2000.

Average years of schooling, age 15+

8.7

2025

Do women or men have more schooling in Oaxaca?

In 2025 women aged 15 and over in Oaxaca averaged 8.59 years of schooling and men 8.92 (Mexico: women 10.19, men 10.34). In 2000 the figures were 5.23 and 6.06.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI) · saved copy

What is the illiteracy rate in Oaxaca?

9.39% of people aged 15 and over in Oaxaca could not read and write in 2025, about 296,500 people (3rd highest of 32; Mexico 3.69%), according to INEGI's 2025 intercensal survey.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI) · saved copy

How many people in Oaxaca lack basic education?

30.5% of the people of Oaxaca had an educational lag in 2024, meaning they had not completed the schooling that was compulsory for their age group (2nd highest of 32; Mexico 18.6%). The share was 28.5% in 2016.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI) · saved copy

How Oaxaca compares with other states

Average years of schooling, age 15+ (2025)

Oaxaca ranks 31 of 32, highest first. Mexico 10.26

Rank	Region	Average years of schooling, age 15+
26	Puebla	9.74
27	Guanajuato	9.58
28	Veracruz	9.32
29	Michoacan	9.23
30	Guerrero	8.98
31	Oaxaca	8.74
32	Chiapas	8.23

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI) · saved copy

Illiteracy rate, age 15+ (2025)

Oaxaca ranks 3 of 32, highest first. Mexico 3.69%

Rank	Region	Illiteracy rate, age 15+
1	Chiapas	11.67%
2	Guerrero	10.07%
3	Oaxaca	9.39%
4	Veracruz	6.81%
5	Michoacan	5.54%
6	Puebla	5.37%
7	Hidalgo	5.00%

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI) · saved copy

People with an educational lag (2024)

Oaxaca ranks 2 of 32, highest first. Mexico 18.6%

Rank	Region	People with an educational lag
1	Chiapas	34.0%
2	Oaxaca	30.5%
3	Guerrero	28.3%
4	Veracruz	26.3%
5	Michoacan	25.7%
6	Puebla	22.7%
7	Guanajuato	21.1%

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI) · saved copy

Adults (15+) with higher education (2025)

Oaxaca ranks 31 of 32, highest first. Mexico 24.5%

Rank	Region	Adults (15+) with higher education
26	Veracruz	21.2%
27	Zacatecas	20.8%
28	Michoacan	19.9%
29	Guanajuato	18.6%
30	Guerrero	18.1%
31	Oaxaca	17.0%
32	Chiapas	15.0%

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI) · saved copy

School attendance, ages 15 to 29 (2025)

Oaxaca ranks 27 of 32, highest first. Mexico 34.4%

Rank	Region	School attendance, ages 15 to 29
24	Nuevo Leon	31.6%
25	Baja California Sur	31.6%
26	San Luis Potosi	31.5%
27	Oaxaca	30.9%
28	Michoacan	30.7%
29	Guerrero	30.6%
30	Guanajuato	29.7%

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI) · saved copy

More on Oaxaca: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · Mexico

Sources

Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI): Encuesta Intercensal 2025, tabulado 00_EIC_07_02: population aged 15 and over by literacy, by state (API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 27af4908583c…)
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI): Encuesta Intercensal 2025, tabulado 00_EIC_07_03: population aged 3 and over by school attendance and age group, by state (API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2ed197022ebf…)
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI): Grado promedio de escolaridad de la poblacion de 15 anos y mas por entidad federativa segun sexo, 2000, 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2025 (censuses and intercensal surveys; API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 86868b0b467c…)
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI): Encuesta Intercensal 2025, tabulado 00_EIC_07_04: population aged 15 and over by level of schooling and age group, by state (API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fc8c3139dc7a…)
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI): Pobreza Multidimensional (PM) 2024: indicadores de pobreza segun entidad federativa, 2016-2024 (poverty, extreme poverty, vulnerability, social deprivations and income lines by state; CONEVAL methodology, ENIGH 2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8ea643bcb158…)

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