Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Portugal
Portugal: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Portugal, 1973–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 4.6% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2022.
The figure is down 4.6% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Portugal peaked at 5.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1973.
That places Portugal 78th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.6% | 1.6% | 3.1% | 6 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.5% | 3.6% | 5.1% | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.1% | 4.7% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.6% | 5.4% | 9 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More reference data data for Portugal
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0041 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.51 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.51 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.51 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.89 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.07 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 75.42 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 78.99 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.27 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 75.07 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Portugal?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Portugal was 4.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1973.
- How does Portugal rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Portugal ranks 78th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. 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 Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.