School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Portugal

Portugal: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 16.72 years in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
16.72 years
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
22nd
of 183 countries
All-time high
16.75 years
in 2013
All-time low
9.03 years
in 1971
Years of data
40
1971–2018

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Portugal, 1971–2018

0510151971199420181971: 9 years1972: 9.3 years1973: 9.7 years1974: 10 years1975: 10 years1976: 10.7 years1977: 10.9 years1978: 10.9 years1979: 10.4 years1980: 10.5 years1986: 11.6 years1987: 12.3 years1990: 11.8 years1991: 12.2 years1992: 13 years1993: 14.2 years1994: 14.6 years1995: 15 years1996: 15.4 years1998: 15.9 years1999: 15.5 years2000: 15.7 years2001: 15.9 years2002: 15.8 years2003: 15.9 years2004: 15.4 years2005: 15.4 years2006: 15.4 years2007: 15.8 years2008: 16 years2009: 16 years2010: 16.1 years2011: 16.2 years2012: 16.3 years2013: 16.8 years2014: 16.5 years2015: 16.4 years2016: 16.4 years2017: 16.5 years2018: 16.7 years

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Portugal is 16.72 years, measured in 2018.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Portugal peaked at 16.75 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 9.03 years, in 1971.

Portugal ranks 22nd of 183 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) in Portugal, 1971 to 2018.
Year years Change
1971 9.03 years
1972 9.26 years +2.5%
1973 9.7 years +4.7%
1974 9.97 years +2.8%
1975 10 years +0.3%
1976 10.69 years +6.9%
1977 10.86 years +1.6%
1978 10.9 years +0.4%
1979 10.39 years -4.6%
1980 10.51 years +1.2%
1986 11.59 years +10.2%
1987 12.33 years +6.5%
1990 11.77 years -4.6%
1991 12.22 years +3.9%
1992 13.02 years +6.5%
1993 14.16 years +8.7%
1994 14.64 years +3.4%
1995 14.97 years +2.2%
1996 15.43 years +3.1%
1998 15.88 years +2.9%
1999 15.46 years -2.7%
2000 15.7 years +1.6%
2001 15.89 years +1.2%
2002 15.81 years -0.5%
2003 15.87 years +0.4%
2004 15.41 years -2.9%
2005 15.41 years +0.0%
2006 15.42 years +0.0%
2007 15.75 years +2.1%
2008 15.96 years +1.3%
2009 16.01 years +0.3%
2010 16.12 years +0.6%
2011 16.21 years +0.6%
2012 16.3 years +0.5%
2013 16.75 years +2.7%
2014 16.52 years -1.4%
2015 16.45 years -0.4%
2016 16.37 years -0.4%
2017 16.54 years +1.0%
2018 16.72 years +1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 10.09 years 9.03 years 10.9 years 9
1980s 11.48 years 10.51 years 12.33 years 3
1990s 14.17 years 11.77 years 15.88 years 9
2000s 15.73 years 15.41 years 16.01 years 10
2010s 16.44 years 16.12 years 16.75 years 9

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 19 Hong Kong 17.22 years compare
  2. 20 Germany 16.93 years compare
  3. 21 Uruguay 16.84 years compare
  4. 23 Chile 16.59 years compare
  5. 24 Malta 16.58 years compare
  6. 25 Lithuania 16.57 years compare

See the full ranking of 228 places →

More education data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Portugal?
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Portugal was 16.72 years in 2018, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 16.75 years in 2013.
What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 9.03 years in 1971.
How does Portugal rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
Portugal ranks 22nd out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Portugal data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-both-sexes-years/portugal/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
228 places, 7,038 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.