Share of the population with lower secondary education in Portugal
Portugal: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 64.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Portugal, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 64.5% for share of the population with lower secondary education in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and up 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Portugal peaked at 64.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.5%, in 1970.
That places Portugal 82nd out of 135 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.5% | — |
| 1981 | 14.0% | +65.9% |
| 1991 | 22.4% | +59.9% |
| 1998 | 23.6% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 24.3% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 25.3% | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 26.3% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 27.2% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 29.2% | +7.3% |
| 2004 | 31.9% | +9.2% |
| 2005 | 33.4% | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 35.0% | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 35.5% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 37.5% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 39.7% | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 41.3% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 45.0% | +9.0% |
| 2012 | 47.2% | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 49.3% | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 51.4% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 52.7% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 54.2% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 55.2% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 54.3% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 58.0% | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 60.7% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 58.0% | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 62.3% | +7.4% |
| 2023 | 62.9% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 64.5% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 14.0% | 14.0% | 14.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 23.5% | 22.4% | 24.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 32.1% | 25.3% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.9% | 41.3% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.7% | 58.0% | 64.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More education data for Portugal
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0566 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 291,682 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Portugal?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Portugal was 64.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 64.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.5% in 1970.
- How does Portugal rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Portugal ranks 82nd out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.3%. 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 of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.