English/US
Interest in Business Administration programs continues to grow in Brazil. Data from the Higher Education Census released in 2025 by the Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), based on 2024 information, indicate an increase in both enrollment and graduation rates in the field.
According to the survey, Brazil surpassed the mark of 10 million students enrolled in higher education in 2024. Of this total, approximately 2.4 million are enrolled in bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and in higher education technology programs related to management and business, representing 23.99% of all enrollments nationwide. Among all fields of knowledge, Business Administration accounts for the largest number of students enrolled in Brazilian higher education.
Growth is also reflected in the number of graduates. In 2024, a total of 1.33 million students completed higher education in Brazil, of whom 382,100 graduated from Business Administration programs, including both bachelor’s and technological degrees. These figures reinforce the relevance of the field in preparing professionals focused on management, business, and organizational development.
According to an administrator, university professor, and Director of Education and Training at the Conselho Federal de Administração (CFA), Júlio Rezende, the growing interest in Business Administration is associated with economic dynamism and the expansion of opportunities in the labor market. Between 2020 and 2024, there was a 12.11% increase in the number of graduates from Bachelor’s programs in Business Administration and a 24.15% increase in graduates from higher education technology programs. According to Rezende, this trend contributes to strengthening the profession, increasing the number of professional registrations, and highlighting the strategic role of administrators in sustainable economic development.
The President of the CFA, Leonardo Macedo, also emphasizes that improvements in oversight actions carried out by the CFA/CRAs System have positively influenced interest in careers in the field. According to him, broader and more rigorous supervision encourages the proper occupation of professional positions by duly qualified individuals, which in turn stimulates demand for Business Administration programs.
From a professional perspective, it is important to distinguish between Administration and Management. Administration is a broader field focused on planning, organizing, directing, and controlling human, financial, material, and informational resources, operating at strategic, tactical, and operational levels. Management, in turn, refers to specific practices in areas such as human resources, marketing, logistics, finance, and public management. Management programs train technologists with more specialized roles focused on executing and managing processes within their respective fields.
In Brazil, professional practice as an administrator or manager in areas related to Administration requires a degree from a Higher Education Institution recognized by the Ministry of Education, as well as registration with the respective Regional Council of Administration. As in other regulated professions, formal professional recognition is contingent upon regular registration within the CFA/CRAs System.
The Higher Education Census data reaffirm the strategic relevance of Business Administration within Brazilian higher education and highlight its contribution to the development of organizations and the national economy.
Source: CFA