Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal
Portugal: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 8.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal is 8.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 6.2% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Portugal peaked at 8.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2000.
That places Portugal 26th out of 122 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 | 3.8% | — |
| 2002 | 5.5% | +45.7% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5.8% | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 5.9% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | -15.1% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | +37.1% |
| 2010 | 7.8% | +16.9% |
| 2011 | 6.9% | -11.3% |
| 2012 | 6.2% | -10.4% |
| 2013 | 6.8% | +10.7% |
| 2014 | 7.2% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 7.9% | +8.6% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 8.1% | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 8.6% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 8.3% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 8.8% | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 8.7% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 8.2% | -6.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.4% | 3.8% | 6.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 6.2% | 8.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 8.5% | 8.2% | 8.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 23 Estonia 8.6% compare
- 24 Cyprus 8.5% compare
- 25 Poland 8.4% compare
- 27 Republic of Moldova 8.0% compare
- 28 Kazakhstan 7.8% compare
- 29 El Salvador 7.7% compare
More education data for Portugal
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 598,661 (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.89 % change on previous year (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 8.2% 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 8.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2000.
- How does Portugal rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Portugal ranks 26th 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 19.7%. 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 Services programmes, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release