- More Brazilians have been enrolling in and completing higher education in recent years. In 2016, of 107.8 million people in the country aged 25 to 64, 17.7% had completed higher education. By 2024, the figure had risen to 117.5 million, putting the proportion of graduates at 23.4%. In São Paulo, the population in the same age group increased from 24.9 million to 26.8 million in the period, while the proportion that had completed higher education rose from 24.7% to 29.2%
- This growth would have been even stronger were it not for the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the enrollment and completion of higher education. These impacts emerged after a delay, only being reflected in the data from 2022 onwards, when the percentages declined for the first time in the period
Data
Higher education growing in Brazil
- The red line in the graph above shows the proportion of all Brazilian residents aged 25 to 64 who live in São Paulo. The yellow line shows the percentage that live in São Paulo out of all Brazilian residents in this age group who have finished higher education
- The graph shows the clear, albeit slow, narrowing of the educational gap between São Paulo and the nationwide average. In 2016, 32.2% of people in the 25–64 age group with a higher education lived in São Paulo, but by 2024 this figure had fallen to 28.4%. Since the share of the Brazilian population aged 25 to 64 and living in São Paulo has remained relatively stable (around 22.7%), the decline indicates faster growth in the enrollment and completion of higher education by residents of other states than in São Paulo
Source IBGE/PNAD-C, various years. Prepared by: FAPESP/DPCTA/GIP
Republish