In Brazil, 6 out of 10 Fail to Advance Past the Low Schooling of Parents

Study situates in the global context the educational evolution between generations in the country

São Paulo

The chance of a child repeating his or her family's low level of education in Brazil is twice that of an American student


On average, almost 6 out of 10 Brazilians (58.3%) followed in their parents footsteps and did not complete high school, according to data from 2014. In the United States, this percentage falls by half, to 29.2%.


Race weighs in the equation, with a greater disadvantage for Blacks. Income also contributes to limiting educational mobility in Brazil at the same time that it is affected by it. The data are from an unprecedented study by the Instituto Mobilidade e Desenvolvimento Social.

The country has improved since the 1940s, especially since the 1960s. In the 1980s, eight out of ten Brazilians had had more schooling than their parents. Among 51 high-middle-income nations, including Brazil, the average was six out of ten.

However, the advance in basic education was not reflected in higher education as well. If quotas help, university permanence measures are lacking.

Educational losses among poor students due to the pandemic are likely to aggravate the situation.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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