What share of adults in Sonora have a university education?

27.9% of people aged 15 and over in Sonora had higher education in 2025 (7th highest of 32; Mexico 24.5%) and 28.7% had upper secondary as their highest level. 1.9% had no schooling (Mexico 3.9%).

What share of young people in Sonora attend school?

In 2025, 97.1% of children aged 6 to 14 in Sonora attended school (Mexico 96.0%), as did 64.0% of those aged 3 to 5 and 38.8% of young people aged 15 to 29 (3rd highest of 32 for that age group; Mexico 34.4%).

Education in Sonora, Mexico: official figures

People aged 15 and over in Sonora had completed 10.93 years of schooling on average in October 2025 (4th highest of 32; Mexico 10.26), up from 10.40 at the 2020 census and 8.18 in 2000.

Average years of schooling, age 15+

10.9

2025

Do women or men have more schooling in Sonora?

In 2025 women aged 15 and over in Sonora averaged 10.99 years of schooling and men 10.87 (Mexico: women 10.19, men 10.34). In 2000 the figures were 8.16 and 8.19.

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

What is the illiteracy rate in Sonora?

1.49% of people aged 15 and over in Sonora could not read and write in 2025, about 35,551 people (6th lowest 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 Sonora lack basic education?

13.7% of the people of Sonora had an educational lag in 2024, meaning they had not completed the schooling that was compulsory for their age group (5th lowest of 32; Mexico 18.6%). The share was 13.4% in 2016.

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

How Sonora compares with other states

Average years of schooling, age 15+ (2025)

Sonora ranks 4 of 32, highest first. Mexico 10.26

Rank	Region	Average years of schooling, age 15+
1	Mexico City	11.96
2	Nuevo Leon	11.28
3	Aguascalientes	10.96
4	Sonora	10.93
5	Coahuila	10.92
6	Queretaro	10.91
7	Sinaloa	10.87

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

Illiteracy rate, age 15+ (2025)

Sonora ranks 27 of 32, highest first. Mexico 3.69%

Rank	Region	Illiteracy rate, age 15+
24	Durango	2.09%
25	Tamaulipas	2.02%
26	Baja California Sur	1.88%
27	Sonora	1.49%
28	Aguascalientes	1.48%
29	Baja California	1.28%
30	Coahuila	1.28%

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

People with an educational lag (2024)

Sonora ranks 28 of 32, highest first. Mexico 18.6%

Rank	Region	People with an educational lag
25	Baja California	14.5%
26	State of Mexico	14.4%
27	Tlaxcala	14.3%
28	Sonora	13.7%
29	Baja California Sur	13.4%
30	Nuevo Leon	13.3%
31	Coahuila	13.3%

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

Adults (15+) with higher education (2025)

Sonora ranks 7 of 32, highest first. Mexico 24.5%

Rank	Region	Adults (15+) with higher education
4	Queretaro	29.3%
5	Aguascalientes	28.6%
6	Colima	28.4%
7	Sonora	27.9%
8	Yucatan	27.1%
9	Coahuila	27.0%
10	Baja California Sur	26.1%

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

School attendance, ages 15 to 29 (2025)

Sonora ranks 3 of 32, highest first. Mexico 34.4%

Rank	Region	School attendance, ages 15 to 29
1	Mexico City	43.0%
2	Sinaloa	40.2%
3	Sonora	38.8%
4	Hidalgo	38.5%
5	Tabasco	38.2%
6	State of Mexico	37.9%
7	Yucatan	36.6%

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

More on Sonora: 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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