Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Portugal
Portugal: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 12 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Portugal, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 12 for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Portugal peaked at 12 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 9, in 1998.
That places Portugal 3rd out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9 | — |
| 1999 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 12 | +33.3% |
| 2010 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 12 | +0.0% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 12 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 12 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10, 1.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.3 | 9 | 12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 6 |
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 number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Portugal?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Portugal was 12 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 12 in 2009.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 in 1998.
- How does Portugal rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Portugal ranks 3rd out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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