Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent in Portugal
Portugal: Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent was 12.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent in Portugal, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Portugal is 12.6%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Portugal peaked at 17.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 1998.
Portugal ranks 35th of 84 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4.4% | — |
| 1999 | 4.6% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 5.1% | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 5.6% | +11.5% |
| 2004 | 6.5% | +16.0% |
| 2005 | 6.6% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | +7.4% |
| 2007 | 7.3% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 7.9% | +8.4% |
| 2009 | 8.3% | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 8.6% | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | +17.2% |
| 2012 | 10.7% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 11.4% | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 12.8% | +12.8% |
| 2015 | 13.5% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 17.9% | +33.0% |
| 2017 | 8.1% | -54.6% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | +6.8% |
| 2019 | 8.3% | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 9.7% | +17.0% |
| 2021 | 13.2% | +36.1% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 12.6% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 4.8% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.0% | 8.1% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 9.7% | 13.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 32 Brunei Darussalam 13.3% compare
- 33 Philippines 13.0% compare
- 34 Hungary 12.8% compare
- 36 Uzbekistan 12.3% compare
- 37 Azerbaijan 12.2% compare
- 38 Greece 11.8% compare
More education data for Portugal
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 52,131 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 12.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 110.99 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 111.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Portugal?
- Educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Portugal was 12.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 17.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 1998.
- How does Portugal rank for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent?
- Portugal ranks 35th out of 84 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release