Bridging the Connectivity Gap: A Multi-Year Study of Regional Inequities and Academic Outcomes in Brazil’s ENEM (2015–2023)

Authors

  • César Candido Xavier

    Departamento de Engenharia, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade Paulista (UNIP), Sorocaba 18087-101, SP, Brazil
  • Carlo Kleber da Silva Rodrigues

    Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition (CMCC), Federal University of ABC (UFABC), Santo André 09210-580, SP, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jiep.v9i1.13163
Received: 13 February 2026 | Revised: 20 March 2026 | Accepted: 31 March 2026 | Published Online: 15 May 2026

Abstract

The National High School Exam (ENEM) is central to social mobility in Brazil, yet it functions within a landscape of deep-seated territorial imbalances. This study shifts the focus toward "digital capital" to evaluate how disparate levels of technological access across Brazil’s five geographic regions correlate with candidate success. Through a longitudinal analysis of INEP microdata covering 33 million participants from 2015 to 2023, the research identifies critical shifts in the exam's demographic and performance profile. The data highlights a dramatic 51% contraction in total registrants over the nine-year period, alongside a pivot toward a younger candidate base predominantly aged 17–25. While the South and Southeast reached a saturation point in internet connectivity (≥95%), the North region struggled with a slower evolution, trailing at 81% by 2023. This digital divide was further exacerbated by the 2020 pandemic, which widened the participation gap between regions to 8%. Performance metrics across all five areas of knowledge exhibited systemic volatility between 2017 and 2019, with regional asymmetries remaining most stubborn in cognitively cumulative fields like Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Ultimately, the study concludes that digital capital is a structural determinant of educational attainment, suggesting that achieving equity in Brazilian higher education requires comprehensive policies that integrate connectivity with robust socioeconomic support.

Keywords:

Educational Stratification; Digital Capital; ENEM; Regional Development; Brazil

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How to Cite

Rodrigues, C., & Silva Rodrigues, C. K. da. (2026). Bridging the Connectivity Gap: A Multi-Year Study of Regional Inequities and Academic Outcomes in Brazil’s ENEM (2015–2023). Journal of International Education and Practice, 9(1), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.30564/jiep.v9i1.13163

Issue

Vol. 9 , Iss. 1 (June 2026): In Progress

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ARTICLE

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Copyright © 2026 César Candido Xavier, Carlo Kleber da Silva Rodrigues

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.