Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Portugal
Portugal: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 80.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Portugal, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 80.5% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Portugal peaked at 83.6% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 66.9%, in 1999.
That places Portugal 64th out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 66.9% | — |
| 2015 | 83.6% | +24.8% |
| 2016 | 83.5% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 83.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 82.6% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 82.0% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 81.4% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 81.3% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.0% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 80.5% | -0.6% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 80.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 100% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 80.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 82.7%, 97% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 66.9% | 66.9% | 66.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 83.0% | 82.0% | 83.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 81.1% | 80.5% | 81.4% | 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Portugal?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Portugal was 80.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 83.6% in 2015.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.9% in 1999.
- How does Portugal rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Portugal ranks 64th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release