Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal
Portugal: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 20.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 20.8% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2023.
That represents a change of up 5.5% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal peaked at 28.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 16.9%, in 2008.
Portugal ranks 91st of 122 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.4% | — |
| 2002 | 21.5% | -24.4% |
| 2003 | 21.8% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 20.4% | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 18.4% | -9.7% |
| 2006 | 19.0% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 18.4% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 16.9% | -7.9% |
| 2009 | 17.7% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 18.8% | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 19.9% | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 20.6% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 20.2% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 19.8% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 18.7% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 18.3% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 19.4% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 19.7% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 20.2% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 19.7% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 20.8% | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.3% | 16.9% | 28.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 19.4% | 18.3% | 20.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 19.7% | 20.8% | 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 graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal was 20.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 28.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9% in 2008.
- How does Portugal rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Portugal ranks 91st out of 122 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release