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DATA

Doctorates dropped significantly in 2020

  • In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, there was a sharp decline in the number of doctoral degrees granted in Brazil, putting a halt to more than two decades of growth. The number of doctorates granted in the country that year was 20,066, representing a drop of 18% compared to the 24,422 awarded in 2019
  • One of the objectives of Brazil’s 2014–2024 National Education Plan, which establishes guidelines, goals, and strategies for educational policy in the period, is to gradually increase the number of people enrolling on graduate programs, with the aim of reaching 25,000 doctorates awarded per year
  • The fall in the number of new doctorates occurred in all Brazilian regions. The North saw the biggest drop, at 23%, followed by the Northeast (20%), Southeast (19%), South (13%), and Midwest (12%)
  • The decline occurred in all fields, but was greatest in the biological sciences (-29%) and smallest in applied social sciences (-10%). Other fields showed drops close to the average of 18%

SOURCES CAPES – Geocapes. Data accessed on: 02/02/2022 National Education Plan, MEC, 2014

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