It would depend on the society and the type of education, I think. The literacy rate might have risen, but I don't think being an intellectual is just a matter of being well-educated. It's a matter of character, of being never done with your education, of being so obsessed with ideas that you just keep on reading and writing and debating (well past graduation), which alienates you from mundane affairs.

I say more about this in a recent article on the ancient cold war between intellectuals and the unreflective masses:

https://medium.com/grim-tidings/the-ancient-cold-war-between-intellectuals-and-the-unreflective-masses-d0a85e0e9cda?sk=9228151d6257df2ee31ab91cd361c014