The rate of adult literacy as share of the country's population 15 years and above in Brazil increased by 1.7 percentage points (+1.83 percent) in 2022 in comparison to the previous year. With 94.69 percent, the rate of adult literacy thereby reached its highest value in the observed period. The adult literacy rate refers to the share of individuals aged 15 years and older who can read and write as well as understand simple expressions about their daily lives.

Historical chart and dataset showing Brazil literacy rate by year from 1980 to 2022.

The statistic depicts the literacy rate in Brazil from 2008 to 2018, as well as for 2022. The literacy rate measures the percentage of people aged 15 and above who can read and write. In 2022, Brazil's literacy rate was around 94.69 percent.

Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 94.690 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 93.228 % for 2018. Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 91.338 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2022, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 94.690 % in 2022 and a record low of 74.587 % in 1980. Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed September 19, 2023. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Brazil was reported at 94.45 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Brazil - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Brazil: Literacy rate: The latest value from 2022 is 94.69 percent, an increase from 93 percent in 2018. In comparison, the world average is 80.97 percent, based on data from 54 countries. Historically, the average for Brazil from 1980 to 2022 is 90.04 percent. The minimum value, 75 percent, was reached in 1980 while the maximum of 94.69 percent was recorded in 2022.

In 2024, around 71 percent of people surveyed in Brazil were considered functionally literate – that is, minimally able to read and interpret memos, pieces of news, instructions, narratives, graphs, tables, ads, and other types of text. The functional literacy rate has decreased from a 73 percent share recorded in 2009, 2011, and 2015.

In 2018, nearly nine out of ten (88 percent of) people aged between 15 and 24 years surveyed in Brazil were considered functionally literate – that is, minimally able to read and interpret memos, pieces of news, instructions, narratives, graphs, tables, ads, and other types of text. Less than half (47 percent) of respondents aged between 50 and 64 years were deemed functionally literate. In Brazil, the functional literacy rate is higher among women.

The literacy rate of people ages 15 years and over in Brazil was estimated at approximately 93 percent in 2018. Between 1980 and 2018, the rate rose by around 18 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data was reported at 99.560 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 99.490 % for 2021. Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 98.855 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2022, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.560 % in 2022 and a record low of 85.000 % in 1980. Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in Brazil was reported at 77.94 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Brazil - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

In 2022, the youth literacy rate (people aged 15-24) in Brazil did not change in comparison to the previous year. The youth literacy rate (people aged 15-24) remained at 99.28 percent. The youth literacy rate refers to the share of individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 and who can read and write as well as understand simple expressions about their daily lives.

Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data was reported at 99.010 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 99.070 % for 2021. Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 97.680 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2022, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.070 % in 2021 and a record low of 83.000 % in 1980. Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

In 2018, approximately 72 percent of women surveyed in Brazil were deemed functionally literate – that is, minimally able to read and interpret memos, pieces of news, instructions, narratives, graphs, tables, ads, and other types of text. Among men, the functional literacy rate stood at 69 percent. Overall, the share of population deemed functionally literate in Brazil has decreased.

Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data was reported at 99.280 % in 2022. This stayed constant from the previous number of 99.280 % for 2021. Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 98.275 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2022, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.280 % in 2022 and a record low of 84.000 % in 1980. Brazil BR: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%) in Brazil was reported at 79.34 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Brazil - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) in Brazil was reported at 99.56 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Brazil - Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI) in Brazil was reported at 1.0055 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Brazil - Ratio of young literate females to males (% ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Brazil BR: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data was reported at 1.005 Ratio in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.004 Ratio for 2021. Brazil BR: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 1.008 Ratio from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2022, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.024 Ratio in 2002 and a record low of 1.000 Ratio in 2010. Brazil BR: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for youth literacy rate is the ratio of females to males ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Weighted average;

Here is the dataset and code for the work done in Brazil, 2022. About the intervention with a game called Kalulu, used to help children how to read.