Three out of 10 Brazilians are functionally illiterate
Three out of ten Brazilians aged 15–64 either cannot read or write, or know very little to the point of not being able to understand short written sentences or identify telephone numbers or prices. These are functional illiterates—a group adding up to 29 percent of the Brazilian population, the same percentage as in 2018.
The data come from the Functional Literacy Indicator (INAF), a study released Monday (May 5). It highlights the need of public policies aimed at reducing this inequality.
The survey brings another worrying statistic. Among young people, functional illiteracy has surged. While in 2018 14 percent of young people aged 15–29 were functionally illiterate, in 2024 this rate rose to 16 percent. According to the researchers, the inscrease may have stemmed from the pandemic, when schools closed and many young people were left without classes.
The test
The indicator classifies people’s literacy levels through a test applied to a sample of the population. The two lowest levels—illiterate and rudimentary—correspond to functional illiteracy. Above them is elementary, followed by intermediate and proficient, which indicate consolidated literacy.
Under the classification, the largest portion of the Brazilian population (36%) is at the elementary level, which means they can understand texts of average length, make small inferences, and solve problems involving basic mathematical operations.
Another 35 percent are in the consolidated literacy range, but only 10 percent of the entire Brazilian population are at the proficient level.
A serious impairment
Roberto Catelli, coordinator for youth and adult education at Ação Educativa, one of the organizations in charge of the indicator, described not being able to read and write is “a serious impairment” that brings along with it a series of difficulties.
“A better result,” he went on to argue, “can only be achieved with significant public policies in education, coupled with efforts to reduce inequalities and improve people’s living conditions. When these people are in this situation, we can see they remain excluded, and these circumstances are reproduced over the years.”
Even among people with jobs, literacy is a major issue—27 percent of Brazilian workers are functionally illiterate, 34 percent have an elementary level of literacy, and 40 percent have consolidated levels of literacy.
Even among those with a university degree, 12 percent are functionally illiterate. Another 61 percent are at the other end, at the consolidated level of literacy.
Inequalities
Disparities also vary among different demographics. Of white people, 28 percent are functionally illiterate and 41 percent are in the consolidated literacy group. Among black Brazilians, these percentages are 30 percent and 31 percent respectively. Among people of Asian and indigenous descent, 47 percent are functionally illiterate and the smallest percentage, 19 percent, have consolidated literacy.
According to Esmeralda Macana, coordinator of the Itaú Foundation Observatory, a partner organization in the research, quality education must be guaranteed to the entire population in order to reverse this situation. She also advocated increasing the pace and scope of public policies and actions.
“We’re going to have to increase the pace at which things are happening, because we’re already in a much faster environment, what with all the recent technological strides and artificial intelligence,” she declared.
The indicator
The study was published after a six-year hiatus. This edition was conducted from December 2024 to February 2025 with 2,554 people aged 15–64 who took the test across all Brazilian regions. The evaluation maps the reading, writing, and math skills of the Brazilian people.
The estimated margin of error ranges from two to three percentage points depending on the age group, with an estimated 95 percent confidence interval.
This year, the study for the first time brings data on literacy in the digital context, in a bid to cast light on how technological changes interfere in everyday life.
