Study: massive drop in Brazil illiteracy rate http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-05/26/content_6155016.htm
www.chinaview.cn 2007-05-26
RIO DE JANEIRO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) released figures Friday showing that the nation's illiteracy rate dropped from 56.8 percent to 12.1 percent between 1940 and 2000.
This progress becomes even more impressive when considering the fact that Brazil's population increased four-fold during the same period. In 1940, there were 42.5 million people in the country, but by 2000 there were 170 million residents, according to the institute.
It also said that while only 30.4 percent of Brazil's children went to school in 1940, the average rate of school enrolment had increased to 95 percent in 2000.
Editor: Jiang Yuxia
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.