Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Portugal
Portugal: Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation was 77.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Portugal, 1998–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Portugal stood at 77.3%.
That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Portugal peaked at 90.7% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 70.5%, in 2012.
Portugal ranks 31st of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 82.5% | — |
| 1999 | 84.4% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 86.0% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 85.9% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 90.7% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 87.3% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 86.9% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 86.2% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 85.4% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 83.0% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 84.2% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 81.5% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 84.1% | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 85.0% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 70.5% | -17.1% |
| 2013 | 77.1% | +9.4% |
| 2014 | 84.3% | +9.5% |
| 2015 | 83.2% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 82.3% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 82.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 81.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 82.7% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 81.3% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 77.3% | -4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.4% | 82.5% | 84.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 85.7% | 81.5% | 90.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.1% | 70.5% | 85.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 80.4% | 77.3% | 82.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
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 share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Portugal?
- Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Portugal was 77.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 90.7% in 2002.
- What is the lowest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.5% in 2012.
- How does Portugal rank for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation?
- Portugal ranks 31st out of 116 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 total public education spending allocated to staff compensation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Compensation for staff across all levels of education, both teaching and non-teaching, covers salaries, retirement contributions by employers, and additional benefits.