Understanding Politics

Education

Education under Dilma

2nd term (2015–2016)

In 2015 public education spending was 6.2% of GDP, and the gross tertiary enrollment ratio went from 47.8% in 2014 to 49.0% in 2016. The period had a recession, a freeze on MEC spending in early 2015 and tighter Fies rules.

This visualization is descriptive and does not show that a government caused the change. See the methodology.

What started

Cuts, withholdings and limits

Change in the series over the period

From the year before the start to the last year of the period, with an optional lag. Compare with Latin America and neighbors: if all moved together, the change is probably not a government's doing.

Absolute change in the series unit (p.p. = percentage points); relative change, in %, only where shown.

no lag

Indicator Window BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaMexicoLatin America & Caribbean
Government expenditure on education (% of GDP) % 2014–2015 +0.3 p.p.+0.4 p.p.+0.2 p.p.−0.2 p.p.−0.0 p.p.−0.2 p.p.
Federal spending paid on education (R$ billion, constant prices) R$ billion, at prices of the latest full year 2014–2015 −1.5 R$ bnno datano datano datano datano data
Federal spending committed to education (R$ billion, constant prices) R$ billion, at prices of the latest full year 2014–2015 −4.0 R$ bnno datano datano datano datano data
Gross tertiary enrollment (% of school-age population) % 2014–2015 +1.3 p.p.+2.7 p.p.+2.8 p.p.+1.6 p.p.+0.8 p.p.+1.3 p.p.
Gross secondary enrollment (% of school-age population) % 2014–2015 −1.7 p.p.+1.5 p.p.+1.1 p.p.+0.3 p.p.+3.7 p.p.+0.2 p.p.
Mean years of schooling (UNDP) years 2014–2015 +0.1 yrs+0.0 yrs+0.1 yrs+0.1 yrs+0.2 yrsno data
Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) % 2014–2015 +0.0 p.p.+0.0 p.p.+0.0 p.p.+0.1 p.p.−0.0 p.p.−0.0 p.p.

1-year lag

Indicator Window BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaMexicoLatin America & Caribbean
Government expenditure on education (% of GDP) % 2015–2016 * +0.1 p.p.−0.2 p.p.+0.5 p.p.+0.0 p.p.−0.3 p.p.−0.0 p.p.
Federal spending paid on education (R$ billion, constant prices) R$ billion, at prices of the latest full year 2015–2016 * −0.8 R$ bnno datano datano datano datano data
Federal spending committed to education (R$ billion, constant prices) R$ billion, at prices of the latest full year 2015–2016 * −6.5 R$ bnno datano datano datano datano data
Gross tertiary enrollment (% of school-age population) % 2015–2016 * −0.1 p.p.+2.9 p.p.+2.4 p.p.+2.3 p.p.+6.6 p.p.+2.0 p.p.
Gross secondary enrollment (% of school-age population) % 2015–2016 * +1.6 p.p.+2.1 p.p.+0.6 p.p.+0.7 p.p.+1.9 p.p.+1.0 p.p.
Mean years of schooling (UNDP) years 2015–2016 * +0.2 yrs+0.0 yrs+0.2 yrs+0.2 yrs0.0 yrsno data
Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) % 2015–2016 * −0.1 p.p.−0.1 p.p.−0.0 p.p.−0.1 p.p.−0.0 p.p.−0.0 p.p.

2-year lag

Indicator Window BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaMexicoLatin America & Caribbean
Government expenditure on education (% of GDP) % 2016–2017 * +0.0 p.p.−0.1 p.p.+0.1 p.p.+0.1 p.p.−0.4 p.p.−0.0 p.p.
Federal spending paid on education (R$ billion, constant prices) R$ billion, at prices of the latest full year 2016–2017 * +1.2 R$ bnno datano datano datano datano data
Federal spending committed to education (R$ billion, constant prices) R$ billion, at prices of the latest full year 2016–2017 * −0.1 R$ bnno datano datano datano datano data
Gross tertiary enrollment (% of school-age population) % 2016–2017 * +1.8 p.p.+2.7 p.p.+1.1 p.p.+1.3 p.p.+1.7 p.p.+1.4 p.p.
Gross secondary enrollment (% of school-age population) % 2016–2017 * +0.3 p.p.+0.8 p.p.+0.8 p.p.+0.8 p.p.+2.2 p.p.+0.5 p.p.
Mean years of schooling (UNDP) years 2016–2017 * +0.1 yrs+0.1 yrs+0.2 yrs+0.1 yrs+0.1 yrsno data
Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) % 2016–2017 * −0.1 p.p.−0.0 p.p.−0.0 p.p.−0.0 p.p.−0.1 p.p.−0.0 p.p.

Pace before and during the government

Yearly change in this window, against the same length immediately before. Talk of a change in pace only when the series moved differently before; even then it does not say why. If Latin America changed pace together, the cause is probably not the government.

Indicator Before During Latin America & Caribbean: before → during
Government expenditure on education (% of GDP) per year +0.11 p.p. (2013–2014) +0.29 p.p. (2014–2015) −0.19 p.p. → −0.24 p.p.
Gross tertiary enrollment (% of school-age population) per year +2.82 p.p. (2013–2014) +1.27 p.p. (2014–2015) +1.64 p.p. → +1.29 p.p.
Gross secondary enrollment (% of school-age population) per year −1.31 p.p. (2013–2014) −1.69 p.p. (2014–2015) +0.11 p.p. → +0.21 p.p.
Mean years of schooling (UNDP) per year +0.09 yrs (2013–2014) +0.13 yrs (2014–2015) no data
Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) per year +0.07 p.p. (2013–2014) +0.01 p.p. (2014–2015) +0.04 p.p. → −0.02 p.p.

Government expenditure on education (% of GDP)

%. Background bands: Brazil's presidents, not those of the chart's other geographies. Years with data: Brazil: 1995–2022 (25 years); Argentina: 1975–2023 (41 years); Chile: 1975–2022 (35 years); Colombia: 1979–2020 (29 years); Mexico: 1989–2022 (30 years).

Government expenditure on education (% of GDP)
Source: World Bank — World Development Indicators · Source version: 2026-10-08 · Collected on: 2026-11-01 · License: CC-BY-4.0
Download data (CSV) · View the code: collection code · chart.ts
View the data as a table
Year BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaMexico
1975 – 1.8 3.5 – –
1976 – 1.2 – – –
1977 – 1.7 – – –
1978 – 1.9 3.0 – –
1979 – 2.4 3.4 1.8 –
1980 – 2.6 4.1 1.7 –
1981 – – 4.8 2.6 –
1982 – 1.6 – – –
1983 – 1.6 – – –
1984 – 2.6 – 3.0 –
1985 – 1.4 – 2.7 –
1986 – 1.3 – – –
1987 – 1.3 2.8 – –
1989 – 1.0 – 2.7 2.3
1990 – 1.1 2.2 – 2.3
1991 – – – – 2.5
1992 – – – – 3.0
1993 – – 2.4 – –
1994 – – 2.5 – 3.5
1995 4.6 – 2.6 – 3.5
1996 – 3.7 2.8 – –
1997 – – 3.0 – –
1998 4.8 4.0 3.3 3.9 3.2
1999 3.8 4.5 3.7 4.4 3.4
2000 3.9 4.6 3.8 3.5 3.8
2001 3.8 4.8 – 3.7 4.0
2002 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.3 4.2
2003 – 3.5 3.9 4.3 4.8
2004 4.0 3.5 3.5 4.1 4.5
2005 4.5 3.9 3.3 4.0 4.6
2006 4.9 4.1 3.0 3.9 4.5
2007 5.0 4.5 3.2 4.1 4.5
2008 5.3 4.8 3.8 3.9 4.6
2009 5.5 5.5 4.3 4.8 4.9
2010 5.6 5.0 4.2 4.8 4.9
2011 5.7 5.3 4.1 4.5 4.9
2012 5.9 5.3 – 4.4 4.9
2013 5.8 5.4 4.5 4.9 4.5
2014 5.9 5.4 4.8 4.6 5.1
2015 6.2 5.8 4.9 4.5 5.1
2016 6.3 5.5 5.4 4.5 4.8
2017 6.3 5.5 5.4 4.5 4.4
2018 6.1 4.9 5.5 4.4 4.1
2019 6.0 4.8 5.6 4.5 –
2020 5.8 5.3 5.6 5.3 4.5
2021 5.5 4.7 5.0 – 4.2
2022 5.6 4.8 4.9 – 4.1
2023 – 5.0 – – –

† series break

Federal spending paid on education (R$ billion, constant prices)

R$ billion, at prices of the latest full year. Background bands: Brazil's presidents, not those of the chart's other geographies. Years with data: Brazil: 2014–2025. No data in this source: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico.

Federal spending paid on education (R$ billion, constant prices)
Source: National Treasury — Siconfi (DCA) and Central Bank (IPCA) · Source version: DCA 2014-2025; IPCA SGS 433 · Collected on: 2026-11-01 · License: ODbL-1.0
Download data (CSV) · View the code: collection code · chart.ts
View the data as a table
Year Brazil
2014 134.1
2015 132.6
2016 131.8
2017 133.0
2018 126.5
2019 118.0
2020 106.2
2021 107.6
2022 114.3
2023 130.2
2024 131.9
2025 148.5

† series break

Federal spending committed to education (R$ billion, constant prices)

R$ billion, at prices of the latest full year. Background bands: Brazil's presidents, not those of the chart's other geographies. Years with data: Brazil: 2014–2025. No data in this source: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico.

Federal spending committed to education (R$ billion, constant prices)
Source: National Treasury — Siconfi (DCA) and Central Bank (IPCA) · Source version: DCA 2014-2025; IPCA SGS 433 · Collected on: 2026-11-01 · License: ODbL-1.0
Download data (CSV) · View the code: collection code · chart.ts
View the data as a table
Year Brazil
2014 157.8
2015 153.8
2016 147.3
2017 147.2
2018 142.4
2019 141.9
2020 128.9
2021 127.6
2022 135.0
2023 153.5
2024 159.3
2025 176.0

† series break

Gross tertiary enrollment (% of school-age population)

%. Background bands: Brazil's presidents, not those of the chart's other geographies. Years with data: Brazil: 2012–2024 (12 years); Argentina: 1975–2023 (41 years); Chile: 2000–2024 (24 years); Colombia: 2000–2022 (22 years); Mexico: 2000–2024.

Gross tertiary enrollment (% of school-age population)
Source: World Bank — World Development Indicators · Source version: 2026-10-08 · Collected on: 2026-11-01 · License: CC-BY-4.0
Download data (CSV) · View the code: collection code · chart.ts
View the data as a table
Year BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaMexico
1975 – 26.9 – – –
1976 – 26.9 – – –
1977 – 24.0 – – –
1978 – 21.2 – – –
1979 – 22.0 – – –
1980 – 21.6 – – –
1981 – 23.0 – – –
1982 – 23.7 – – –
1983 – 24.8 – – –
1984 – 28.7 – – –
1985 – 35.7 – – –
1986 – 37.8 – – –
1987 – 39.8 – – –
1991 – 38.3 – – –
1994 – 37.4 – – –
1998 – 48.0 – – –
1999 – 49.5 – – –
2000 – 54.1 35.4 25.5 20.5
2001 – 58.5 – 26.4 21.4
2002 – 61.7 40.3 26.5 22.3
2003 – 64.0 43.5 – 23.0
2004 – 64.6 44.3 29.5 23.7
2005 – 63.5 50.3 32.3 24.1
2006 – 66.9 49.3 34.4 24.6
2007 – 66.7 54.7 35.5 25.1
2008 – 68.6 56.8 37.9 25.8
2009 – 70.7 60.0 39.5 26.2
2010 – 73.8 66.3 41.5 27.2
2011 – 77.0 70.8 45.3 28.0
2012 43.8 78.1 75.1 47.5 29.3
2013 45.0 78.6 79.9 50.7 30.3
2014 47.8 81.1 83.7 53.2 31.2
2015 49.1 83.8 86.4 54.8 32.0
2016 49.0 86.7 88.8 57.1 38.6
2017 50.7 89.3 89.9 58.4 40.3
2018 52.1 91.1 91.2 57.3 41.6
2019 53.6 95.2 92.1 56.7 43.0
2020 55.5 99.4 89.1 55.7 45.2
2021 57.6 107.2 96.2 58.3 45.7
2022 61.0 107.1 99.3 59.3 46.4
2023 – 107.8 104.7 – 47.5
2024 69.7 – 110.2 – 48.2

† series break

Gross secondary enrollment (% of school-age population)

%. Background bands: Brazil's presidents, not those of the chart's other geographies. Years with data: Brazil: 2012–2024 (12 years); Argentina: 1975–2023 (45 years); Chile: 2000–2024 (24 years); Colombia: 2000–2022 (21 years); Mexico: 2000–2024.

Gross secondary enrollment (% of school-age population)
Source: World Bank — World Development Indicators · Source version: 2026-10-08 · Collected on: 2026-11-01 · License: CC-BY-4.0
Download data (CSV) · View the code: collection code · chart.ts
View the data as a table
Year BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaMexico
1975 – 54.1 – – –
1976 – 55.4 – – –
1977 – 55.1 – – –
1978 – 55.0 – – –
1979 – 55.1 – – –
1980 – 56.2 – – –
1981 – 57.6 – – –
1982 – 59.6 – – –
1983 – 60.4 – – –
1984 – 66.0 – – –
1985 – 70.6 – – –
1986 – 70.5 – – –
1987 – 70.3 – – –
1988 – 70.9 – – –
1990 – 73.0 – – –
1991 – 74.1 – – –
1994 – 70.9 – – –
1996 – 78.5 – – –
1997 – 74.5 – – –
1998 – 80.7 – – –
1999 – 92.3 – – –
2000 – 96.2 86.9 76.4 71.1
2001 – 97.6 – – 72.9
2002 – 97.0 89.4 78.2 75.1
2003 – 96.0 90.6 – 78.6
2004 – 95.5 91.0 83.0 79.8
2005 – 93.6 92.0 87.0 80.6
2006 – 92.4 92.0 90.3 82.7
2007 – 92.2 91.6 93.0 84.1
2008 – 93.2 91.5 94.2 86.1
2009 – 96.4 89.9 98.3 85.9
2010 – 99.1 91.0 100.0 87.3
2011 – 100.9 91.0 101.2 88.4
2012 94.6 102.7 89.5 97.2 90.7
2013 104.1 104.5 99.2 98.1 93.3
2014 102.8 106.0 99.9 97.4 97.3
2015 101.1 107.5 100.9 97.7 101.0
2016 102.7 109.6 101.5 98.4 102.9
2017 103.0 110.4 102.3 99.2 105.1
2018 104.8 109.7 103.2 100.4 106.0
2019 103.7 110.5 104.4 102.0 105.5
2020 103.9 112.4 103.7 101.5 102.6
2021 106.3 115.7 106.7 103.0 98.3
2022 105.7 114.1 106.1 101.6 98.4
2023 – 105.6 105.8 – 102.1
2024 104.1 – 105.6 – 103.1

† series break

Mean years of schooling (UNDP)

years. Background bands: Brazil's presidents, not those of the chart's other geographies. Years with data: all series: 1990–2023.

Mean years of schooling (UNDP)
Source: UNDP — Human Development Report · Source version: HDR 2025 · Collected on: 2026-10-26 · License: CC-BY-3.0-IGO
Download data (CSV) · View the code: collection code · chart.ts
View the data as a table
Year BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaMexico
1990 3.7 8.1 8.4 6.3 5.9
1991 3.8 8.2 8.5 6.4 6.0
1992 4.0 8.3 8.5 6.4 6.1
1993 4.1 8.3 8.6 6.5 6.2
1994 4.3 8.4 8.7 6.6 6.2
1995 4.4 8.5 8.8 6.6 6.3
1996 4.6 8.5 8.9 6.7 6.4
1997 4.8 8.6 8.9 6.7 6.4
1998 4.9 8.7 9.0 6.8 6.5
1999 5.1 8.7 9.1 6.8 6.6
2000 5.3 8.8 9.1 6.9 6.7
2001 5.4 8.9 9.3 6.9 6.8
2002 5.6 9.4 9.4 7.0 7.0
2003 5.8 9.9 9.6 7.0 7.1
2004 6.0 10.0 9.7 7.1 7.3
2005 6.2 10.1 9.7 7.3 7.5
2006 6.3 10.2 9.8 6.8 7.9
2007 6.5 10.3 9.8 7.2 7.9
2008 6.7 10.4 10.1 7.3 7.9
2009 6.8 10.5 10.0 7.3 8.1
2010 6.9 10.6 9.9 7.4 8.0
2011 7.0 10.7 9.5 7.5 8.3
2012 7.2 10.8 9.8 7.6 8.5
2013 7.3 10.9 10.0 7.8 8.4
2014 7.4 10.9 10.1 8.0 8.4
2015 7.5 10.9 10.3 8.1 8.6
2016 7.7 10.9 10.4 8.2 8.6
2017 7.8 11.0 10.6 8.4 8.7
2018 8.0 11.1 10.8 8.5 8.9
2019 8.1 11.1 10.9 8.6 9.1
2020 8.3 11.1 11.1 8.9 9.2
2021 8.4 11.2 11.3 9.0 9.3
2022 8.4 11.2 11.3 9.0 9.3
2023 8.4 11.2 11.3 9.0 9.3

† series break

Research and development expenditure (% of GDP)

%. Background bands: Brazil's presidents, not those of the chart's other geographies. Years with data: Brazil: 2000–2023; Argentina: 1996–2023; Chile: 2007–2022; Colombia: 2000–2020; Mexico: 1996–2024.

Research and development expenditure (% of GDP)
Source: World Bank — World Development Indicators · Source version: 2026-10-08 · Collected on: 2026-11-01 · License: CC-BY-4.0
Download data (CSV) · View the code: collection code · chart.ts
View the data as a table
Year BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaMexico
1996 – 0.4 – – 0.2
1997 – 0.4 – – 0.3
1998 – 0.4 – – 0.3
1999 – 0.5 – – 0.3
2000 1.0 0.4 – 0.1 0.3
2001 1.1 0.4 – 0.1 0.3
2002 1.0 0.4 – 0.2 0.3
2003 1.0 0.4 – 0.2 0.4
2004 1.0 0.4 – 0.2 0.4
2005 1.0 0.4 – 0.2 0.4
2006 1.0 0.5 – 0.2 0.4
2007 1.1 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.4
2008 1.1 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.4
2009 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.5
2010 1.2 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.5
2011 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.5
2012 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.4
2013 1.2 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.4
2014 1.3 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.4
2015 1.3 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.4
2016 1.2 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.4
2017 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.3
2018 1.2 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3
2019 1.2 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3
2020 1.2 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3
2021 1.1 0.5 0.4 – 0.3
2022 1.2 0.5 0.4 – 0.3
2023 1.2 0.6 – – 0.3
2024 – – – – 0.3

† series break

How to assess a government and its policies critically

Other factors that moved the same series

The 2014–2016 recession reduced employment and income and, by itself, demand for private higher education courses; the fall in new Fies contracts therefore has at least two explanations that annual data cannot separate. Total education spending, which includes states and municipalities, kept rising as a share of GDP partly because GDP fell.

Limitations

Sources

#NumberOrigin
1 134.1 siconfi.educ_uniao_paga BRA 2014 · National Treasury — Siconfi (DCA) and Central Bank (IPCA) · Source version DCA 2014-2025; IPCA SGS 433 · Collected on 2026-11-01
2 132.6 siconfi.educ_uniao_paga BRA 2015 · National Treasury — Siconfi (DCA) and Central Bank (IPCA) · Source version DCA 2014-2025; IPCA SGS 433 · Collected on 2026-11-01
3 157.8 siconfi.educ_uniao_empenhada BRA 2014 · National Treasury — Siconfi (DCA) and Central Bank (IPCA) · Source version DCA 2014-2025; IPCA SGS 433 · Collected on 2026-11-01
4 153.8 siconfi.educ_uniao_empenhada BRA 2015 · National Treasury — Siconfi (DCA) and Central Bank (IPCA) · Source version DCA 2014-2025; IPCA SGS 433 · Collected on 2026-11-01
5 6.2 wdi.se_xpd_totl_gd_zs BRA 2015 · World Bank — World Development Indicators · Source version 2026-10-08 · Collected on 2026-11-01
6 47.8 wdi.se_ter_enrr BRA 2014 · World Bank — World Development Indicators · Source version 2026-10-08 · Collected on 2026-11-01
7 49.0 wdi.se_ter_enrr BRA 2016 · World Bank — World Development Indicators · Source version 2026-10-08 · Collected on 2026-11-01