A new dataset of average years of schooling in Brazil, 1925–2015

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper presents a new dataset of average years of schooling (AYS) in Brazil between 1925 and 2015, using demographic censuses and household surveys as benchmarks. The dataset is also broken down by gender (1925–2015), race/colour (1925–2015), and state (1950–2015). In contrast to the Barro-Lee dataset, which reports an implausible AYS decrease in the 1970s, our dataset shows a gradual AYS increase in Brazil over time. We also show that women’s AYS surpassed men’s from 1983 onwards and that levels of inequality by race/colour and state/region have remained relatively stable over time.