Growth reflects policies for access to education and increased school permanence, according to IBGE data
The portion of the Brazilian population of 25 years or older with complete higher education exceeded 20% in 2024, reaching 20.5%. The data were released by the (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) this Friday (13.jun.2025).
The increase, compared to the rate of 19.7% registered in the previous year, shows progress since 2016, when the proportion was 15.4%.
William Kratochwill, IBGE research analyst, attributed growth to the trend of greater stay in school. Continuous PNAD (National Continuous Household Summary Survey) indicated that the average number of years of study of 25 -year -olds or faster grew to 10.1 in 2024 compared to 9.9 by 2023 and 9.1 in 2016.
The expansion of higher education in the country is due to public policies such as Fies, Sisu, Enem, Prouni and Quotas, as well as increased distance education.
However, Brazil still faces challenges compared to other countries. In 2023, the average of people with higher education between 25 and 64 years was 39.9% in OECD countries. Canada and Australia had higher rates. In Latin America, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico showed various percentages, all below those mentioned earlier.
In 2024, the disparity in access to higher education in Brazil remained evident. While 29% of whites 25 years or older had a full degree, only 13.7% of blacks or browns reached this level. The Midwest, Southeast and South regions surpassed the national average, unlike the North and Northeast.
The IBGE survey also revealed that 72.6% of people who attended higher education in 2024 had attended all high school in public schools. This has been an increase since the beginning of the historical series in 2016.
