Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Portugal
Portugal: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 21.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Portugal, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 21.8% for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2024. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.3% on the previous year and up 48.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Portugal peaked at 21.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 1970.
That places Portugal 65th out of 129 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.5% | — |
| 1981 | 4.9% | +93.6% |
| 1991 | 8.2% | +66.5% |
| 1992 | 8.8% | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 8.6% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 8.7% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 8.9% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 8.9% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 8.8% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 6.2% | -29.9% |
| 1999 | 6.6% | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 6.6% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 6.6% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 6.3% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 7.6% | +19.8% |
| 2004 | 8.9% | +16.7% |
| 2005 | 9.1% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 9.7% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 9.5% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 9.8% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 10.2% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 10.6% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 12.4% | +16.7% |
| 2012 | 13.4% | +7.9% |
| 2013 | 13.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 14.7% | +9.9% |
| 2015 | 15.4% | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 16.1% | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 16.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 15.4% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 17.9% | +15.6% |
| 2020 | 19.1% | +7.2% |
| 2021 | 17.9% | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 19.9% | +11.7% |
| 2024 | 21.8% | +9.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 8.2% | 6.2% | 8.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.5% | 6.3% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 10.6% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 17.9% | 21.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 62 Montenegro 22.7% compare
- 63 Bulgaria 22.1% compare
- 64 Philippines 21.9% compare
- 66 Czechia 21.1% compare
- 67 North Macedonia 20.8% compare
- 68 Austria 20.8% 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 short-cycle tertiary education in Portugal?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Portugal was 21.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 21.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 1970.
- How does Portugal rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Portugal ranks 65th out of 129 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 48.5%. 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 short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release