Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Portugal
Portugal: Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years was 1.01 GPIA in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
1.01 GPIA
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
39th
of 121 countries
All-time high
1.02 GPIA
in 2018
All-time low
0.6518 GPIA
in 1970
Years of data
27
1970–2021
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Portugal, 1970–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2021, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Portugal stood at 1.01 GPIA.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Portugal peaked at 1.02 GPIA in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.6518 GPIA, in 1970.
Portugal ranks 39th of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Portugal, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.6518 GPIA | — |
| 1981 | 0.7359 GPIA | +12.9% |
| 1991 | 0.8785 GPIA | +19.4% |
| 1998 | 0.939 GPIA | +6.9% |
| 1999 | 0.9383 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 0.9448 GPIA | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 0.9482 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 0.9598 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 0.9668 GPIA | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.9696 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.9722 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 0.976 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.9853 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9874 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.9903 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 1 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 0.9962 GPIA | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.9985 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 1 GPIA | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.01 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.01 GPIA | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 1.01 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 1.01 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.02 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 1.01 GPIA | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 1.01 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 1.01 GPIA | +0.8% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 1.01 GPIA is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.01 GPIA, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 1.01 GPIA is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.993 GPIA, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6518 GPIA | 0.6518 GPIA | 0.6518 GPIA | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.7359 GPIA | 0.7359 GPIA | 0.7359 GPIA | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.9186 GPIA | 0.8785 GPIA | 0.939 GPIA | 3 |
| 2000s | 0.9701 GPIA | 0.9448 GPIA | 0.9903 GPIA | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.01 GPIA | 0.9962 GPIA | 1.02 GPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 GPIA | 1.01 GPIA | 1.01 GPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 36 United Arab Emirates 1.02 GPIA compare
- 37 Bulgaria 1.02 GPIA compare
- 38 Cayman Islands 1.02 GPIA compare
- 40 Republic of Moldova 1.01 GPIA compare
- 41 Colombia 1.01 GPIA compare
- 42 Belize 1.01 GPIA compare
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 mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Portugal?
- Mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Portugal was 1.01 GPIA in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 1.02 GPIA in 2018.
- What is the lowest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6518 GPIA in 1970.
- How does Portugal rank for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years?
- Portugal ranks 39th out of 121 countries with data for 2021.
- Is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. 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 Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release