Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Portugal
Portugal: Share of the population with at least some secondary education was 64.48 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Portugal, 1970–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 64.48 for share of the population with at least some 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 at least some secondary education in Portugal peaked at 64.48 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.45, 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 at least some secondary education in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.45 | — |
| 1981 | 14.03 | +65.9% |
| 1991 | 22.43 | +59.9% |
| 1998 | 23.64 | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 24.3 | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 25.26 | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 26.33 | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 27.22 | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 29.21 | +7.3% |
| 2004 | 31.9 | +9.2% |
| 2005 | 33.45 | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 34.99 | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 35.55 | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 37.55 | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 39.66 | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 41.3 | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 45.01 | +9.0% |
| 2012 | 47.23 | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 49.29 | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 51.44 | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 52.71 | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 54.19 | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 55.18 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 54.3 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 57.95 | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 60.75 | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 57.97 | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 62.28 | +7.4% |
| 2023 | 62.91 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 64.48 | +2.5% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 64.48 is below the median for high income countries, which is 91.64, 70% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 64.48 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 95.43, 68% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some secondary 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +65.9% | 8.45 | 14.03 |
| 1991 | +59.9% | 14.03 | 22.43 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.45 | 8.45 | 8.45 | 1 |
| 1980s | 14.03 | 14.03 | 14.03 | 1 |
| 1990s | 23.46 | 22.43 | 24.3 | 3 |
| 2000s | 32.11 | 25.26 | 39.66 | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.86 | 41.3 | 57.95 | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.68 | 57.97 | 64.48 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More education data for Portugal
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.73 (2019)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.49 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some secondary education in Portugal?
- Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Portugal was 64.48 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some secondary education recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 64.48 in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some secondary education recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.45 in 1970.
- How does Portugal rank for share of the population with at least some secondary education?
- Portugal ranks 82nd out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with at least some 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).