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Illiteracy rate by state

In 2025, Alagoas had the highest Illiteracy rate among the 27 states (13.1%) and Santa Catarina the lowest (1.5%). Brazil as a whole stood at 4.9%.

Illiteracy rate by state · 2025

Share of people aged 15 or over who cannot read and write a simple note, men and women combined. Rank 1 = lowest value.

Rondônia: 5.1%Acre: 8.9%Amazonas: 4.3%Roraima: 3.4%Pará: 6.2%Amapá: 4.5%Tocantins: 6.8%Maranhão: 10.9%Piauí: 13.1%Ceará: 11.1%Rio Grande do Norte: 9.3%Paraíba: 11.6%Pernambuco: 10.1%Alagoas: 13.1%Sergipe: 10.3%Bahia: 9.5%Minas Gerais: 3.8%Espírito Santo: 3.8%Rio de Janeiro: 1.6%São Paulo: 1.9%Paraná: 3.3%Santa Catarina: 1.5%Rio Grande do Sul: 2.2%Mato Grosso do Sul: 3.9%Mato Grosso: 3.5%Goiás: 3.5%Distrito Federal: 2.0%
  • up to 2.0%
  • 2.0% to 3.5%
  • 3.5% to 3.9%
  • 3.9% to 6.2%
  • 6.2% to 9.5%
  • 9.5% to 11.1%
  • 11.1% or more
#State% of people aged 15 or over
1Santa Catarina1.5%
2Rio de Janeiro1.6%
3São Paulo1.9%
4Distrito Federal2.0%
5Rio Grande do Sul2.2%
6Paraná3.3%
7Roraima3.4%
8Goiás3.5%
9Mato Grosso3.5%
10Espírito Santo3.8%
11Minas Gerais3.8%
12Mato Grosso do Sul3.9%
13Amazonas4.3%
14Amapá4.5%
15Rondônia5.1%
16Pará6.2%
17Tocantins6.8%
18Acre8.9%
19Rio Grande do Norte9.3%
20Bahia9.5%
21Pernambuco10.1%
22Sergipe10.3%
23Maranhão10.9%
24Ceará11.1%
25Paraíba11.6%
26Alagoas13.1%
27Piauí13.1%

Brazil: 4.9%.

Source: IBGE, Continuous PNAD (SIDRA).

Change over time: highest and lowest

Alagoas

18.3%4.9%20162025

Santa Catarina

6.7%1.5%20162025

Colored line: the state. Gray line: Brazil, when the source gives the national total.

Frequently asked questions

Which state has the highest Illiteracy rate?

In 2025, Alagoas, at 13.1%. The lowest was Santa Catarina, at 1.5%.

What is the value of Illiteracy rate for Brazil?

In 2025, 4.9%, according to IBGE, Continuous PNAD (SIDRA).

What does "Illiteracy rate" measure?

Share of people aged 15 or over who cannot read and write a simple note, men and women combined.

Where does the data come from, and can I download it?

The data comes from IBGE, Continuous PNAD (SIDRA). There is a CSV file with every state and every available period. You may copy and republish the data and charts, including commercially, under the CC BY 4.0 license. The condition is to credit "dadobruto.com" and, when published online, to link to dadobruto.com or to the page the data came from. The original numbers follow the rules of IBGE, Continuous PNAD (SIDRA).

Open a state's page

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Download the data and cite it

Download as CSV (all states and periods). How to cite: dadobruto.com. Illiteracy rate by state. Data: IBGE, Continuous PNAD (SIDRA). https://dadobruto.com/en/states/indicator/illiteracy-rate

You may copy and republish the data and charts, including commercially, under the CC BY 4.0 license. The condition is to credit "dadobruto.com" and, when published online, to link to dadobruto.com or to the page the data came from. The original numbers follow the rules of IBGE, Continuous PNAD (SIDRA).