Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Portugal
Portugal: Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level was 13.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Portugal, 1973–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Portugal stood at 13.1%. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Portugal peaked at 13.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 1976.
Portugal ranks 98th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 4.9% | — |
| 1974 | 5.0% | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 4.8% | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 3.3% | -32.7% |
| 1981 | 7.0% | +114.8% |
| 1982 | 7.3% | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 6.9% | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 7.1% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 6.7% | -5.7% |
| 1986 | 7.3% | +8.5% |
| 1987 | 7.2% | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 6.1% | -15.0% |
| 1991 | 6.7% | +9.7% |
| 1992 | 7.7% | +16.2% |
| 1993 | 7.8% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 7.8% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 9.4% | +19.8% |
| 2000 | 9.6% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 10.0% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 10.5% | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 10.5% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 10.5% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 10.9% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 11.1% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 10.9% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 11.5% | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 12.0% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 11.9% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 12.1% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 13.0% | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 12.7% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 12.8% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 12.8% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 12.9% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 13.0% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 13.1% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.5% | 3.3% | 5.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | 7.1% | 6.7% | 7.3% | 7 |
| 1990s | 7.6% | 6.1% | 9.4% | 6 |
| 2000s | 10.6% | 9.6% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 11.8% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.0% | 12.8% | 13.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More education data for Portugal
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.63 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 42,707 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9,424 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 230,157 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2.92 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 198,049 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.3 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Portugal?
- Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level in Portugal was 13.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 1976.
- How does Portugal rank for share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level?
- Portugal ranks 98th out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share enrolled in private institutions at the primary education level. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Private primary institutions are managed by private entities, such as NGOs, religious groups, or businesses, rather than public authorities, regardless of profit motive.