Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Portugal
Portugal: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 16.1 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
16.1
World rank
50th
of 111 countries
All-time high
16.1
in 2020
All-time low
0.2
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Portugal, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Portugal stood at 16.1. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Portugal peaked at 16.1 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.2, in 1870.
Portugal ranks 50th of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.2 | — |
| 1875 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.3 | +50.0% |
| 1915 | 0.4 | +33.3% |
| 1920 | 0.5 | +25.0% |
| 1925 | 0.5 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.6 | +20.0% |
| 1935 | 0.7 | +16.7% |
| 1940 | 0.8 | +14.3% |
| 1945 | 0.9 | +12.5% |
| 1950 | 1 | +11.1% |
| 1955 | 1.1 | +10.0% |
| 1960 | 1.1 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.5 | +36.4% |
| 1970 | 1.8 | +20.0% |
| 1975 | 2.6 | +44.4% |
| 1980 | 4.1 | +57.7% |
| 1985 | 6.3 | +53.7% |
| 1990 | 8.9 | +41.3% |
| 1995 | 10.5 | +18.0% |
| 2000 | 13.8 | +31.4% |
| 2005 | 13.5 | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 15.3 | +13.3% |
| 2015 | 15.7 | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 16.1 | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.35 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.65 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.85 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.05 | 1 | 1.1 | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2 |
| 1980s | 5.2 | 4.1 | 6.3 | 2 |
| 1990s | 9.7 | 8.9 | 10.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.65 | 13.5 | 13.8 | 2 |
| 2010s | 15.5 | 15.3 | 15.7 | 2 |
| 2020s | 16.1 | 16.1 | 16.1 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More education data for Portugal
- 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)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 52,131 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in Portugal?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Portugal was 16.1 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 16.1 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2 in 1870.
- How does Portugal rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Portugal ranks 50th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).