The literacy rate continued to rise in Brazil, reaching 93% of people aged 15 or older in 2022, according to new data from the Demographic Census released this Friday (17) by IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).
The indicator, which shows the percentage of people who could read and write at least a simple note, is the highest in a historical series with numbers since 1940, when the research body conducted its first census.
The increase in literacy reflects a decrease in illiteracy, with the rate falling to 7% of the population aged 15 or older in 2022. This is the lowest proportion in the series released by IBGE. In absolute terms, the 7% percentage means that, despite the improvement, Brazil still had 11.4 million people aged 15 or older who could not read or write a simple note in 2022. The total number of inhabitants in this age group was almost 163 million.