Share of primary school teachers who are women in Portugal
Portugal: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 81.9% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
81.9%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
79th
of 212 countries
All-time high
82.9%
in 1985
All-time low
78.0%
in 1987
Years of data
31
1973–2023
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Portugal, 1973–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 81.9% for share of primary school teachers who are women in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in Portugal peaked at 82.9% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 78.0%, in 1987.
That places Portugal 79th out of 212 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 82.4% | — |
| 1974 | 82.1% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 81.9% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 80.8% | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 80.1% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 81.4% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 82.9% | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 78.0% | -5.9% |
| 1991 | 81.5% | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 82.1% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 82.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 81.8% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 81.5% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 80.6% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 81.8% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 79.8% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 79.6% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 79.7% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 79.5% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 79.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 79.2% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 79.8% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 80.1% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 80.6% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 80.9% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 80.8% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 80.9% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 81.2% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 81.4% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 81.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 81.9% | +0.5% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 81.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 84.3%, 97% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 81.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.2%, 94% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 81.5% | 80.1% | 82.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 80.4% | 78.0% | 82.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 81.5% | 81.5% | 81.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 81.1% | 79.6% | 82.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 80.1% | 79.2% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.5% | 81.2% | 81.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More education data for Portugal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 82,664 (2018)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 11,380 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 136,282 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 128,743 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 741,752 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 598,661 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0566 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary school teachers who are women in Portugal?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in Portugal was 81.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 82.9% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.0% in 1987.
- How does Portugal rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- Portugal ranks 79th out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary school teachers who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of female teachers among all teachers at the primary education level during a given school year.