Only 4.7% of children of unschooled parents finish higher education in Brazil

The level of education of the parents says a lot about the chances of a citizen’s social ascension in Brazil. In a group of 100 people with family members without any education, 70 reach the end of elementary school at the most and only between 4 and 5 (or 4.7%) complete higher education. If the parents have a college degree, the children are more likely to follow along this same path as well.

These data are the study of economist Paulo Tafner, founder and CEO of the recently created Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS). For him, the lack of social mobility in Brazil is a factor in perpetuating poverty, even after years of economic growth and income transfer programs. Basically, it is the difficulty that a child from a poor family has to climb the ladder and be entitled to better salaries.