Education in Portugal - statistics & facts
The education system receives the fifth-highest government spending in Portugal. The country has increasingly invested in financial resources on education, namely over 10.5 billion euros in 2022, which reflects the efforts to promote the quality of education. Still, the country faces relevant challenges related to training and instruction that jeopardize a faster development of the sector.
After concluding compulsory education, students may continue to study in a post-secondary non-tertiary cycle or enroll in higher education. Business sciences, administration, and law, as well as engineering, manufacturing, and construction, were the fields of education with the highest number of new higher education students during the academic year 2022/23. Universities were favored over polytechnic institutes, and the number of public university graduates was almost four times that of students graduating from private universities.
Besides this, the Portuguese teaching force is aging, and the number of retired teachers has increased over the past decade, leading to a shortage of educational professionals. The elevated costs of pursuing higher education are also a deterrent to increasing the qualification level. During the academic year 2022/23, the average monthly expenditure of a higher education student was almost 904 euros, especially due to the high prices of student accommodation.
Structure of the education system in Portugal
The Portuguese education system is universal, free, and mandatory, being composed of the compulsory levels of primary, middle, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. Education may start with the optional pre-school level and ends with the conclusion of high school, or at the age of 18 years. During the school year 2022/23, there were over 388,300 students enrolled in primary education and almost 395,000 in upper secondary education. The majority of students at all education levels attended public schools and most high school students opted for scientific-humanistic courses.After concluding compulsory education, students may continue to study in a post-secondary non-tertiary cycle or enroll in higher education. Business sciences, administration, and law, as well as engineering, manufacturing, and construction, were the fields of education with the highest number of new higher education students during the academic year 2022/23. Universities were favored over polytechnic institutes, and the number of public university graduates was almost four times that of students graduating from private universities.
Challenges in Portugal’s education system
The Portuguese education system has been confronted with demographic difficulties, such as a low birth rate, an aging population, and migratory pressures which demand the integration of immigrant children and young adults and the teaching of Portuguese as a foreign language.Besides this, the Portuguese teaching force is aging, and the number of retired teachers has increased over the past decade, leading to a shortage of educational professionals. The elevated costs of pursuing higher education are also a deterrent to increasing the qualification level. During the academic year 2022/23, the average monthly expenditure of a higher education student was almost 904 euros, especially due to the high prices of student accommodation.
