Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal
Portugal: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 18.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal stood at 18.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal peaked at 21.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 2000.
That places Portugal 17th out of 124 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 13.1% | — |
| 2002 | 14.0% | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 14.4% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 13.9% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 14.5% | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 14.4% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 18.3% | +27.6% |
| 2008 | 19.4% | +5.8% |
| 2009 | 18.5% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 19.7% | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 19.2% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 19.1% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 19.6% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 19.9% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 20.9% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 19.6% | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 19.1% | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 19.0% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 19.2% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 18.5% | -4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.6% | 13.1% | 19.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 20.0% | 19.1% | 21.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 18.9% | 18.5% | 19.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 14 British Virgin Islands 19.9% compare
- 15 Singapore 19.8% compare
- 16 Austria 18.9% compare
- 18 Azerbaijan 18.0% compare
- 19 Trinidad and Tobago 17.9% compare
- 20 Sweden 17.7% compare
More education data for Portugal
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
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 18.5% 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 21.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 2000.
- How does Portugal rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Portugal ranks 17th out of 124 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 down 5.7%. 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 graduates from tertiary education graduating from Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release