Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Portugal
Portugal: Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education was 17.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Portugal, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 17.7% for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Portugal peaked at 21.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 2003.
That places Portugal 35th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 8.0% | — |
| 2002 | 8.2% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 7.6% | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 8.7% | +14.4% |
| 2006 | 8.7% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 20.8% | +140.4% |
| 2014 | 20.8% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 21.0% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 19.7% | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 19.5% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 18.9% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 18.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 18.5% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 18.0% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 17.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 17.7% | -1.5% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 17.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.0%, 1.5× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 17.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 19.2%, 92% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Portugal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +140.4% | 8.7% | 20.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.3% | 7.6% | 8.7% | 5 |
| 2010s | 19.9% | 18.8% | 21.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 18.0% | 17.7% | 18.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 32 New Zealand 18.6% compare
- 33 Kazakhstan 18.4% compare
- 34 Seychelles 17.9% compare
- 36 Latvia 17.3% compare
- 37 United Kingdom 17.1% compare
- 38 Greece 16.4% compare
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 proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Portugal?
- Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education in Portugal was 17.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 2015.
- What is the lowest proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 2003.
- How does Portugal rank for proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education?
- Portugal ranks 35th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. 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 Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release