Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Portugal

Portugal: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 98.7% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
98.7%
World rank
14th
of 83 countries
All-time high
98.7%
in 2018
All-time low
76.4%
in 1981
Years of data
5
1981–2018

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Portugal, 1981–2018

0204060801001981199920181981: 76.4 %1991: 89.4 %2001: 94.9 %2011: 98.4 %2018: 98.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Portugal recorded 98.7% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in 2018. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Portugal peaked at 98.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 76.4%, in 1981.

That places Portugal 14th out of 83 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 76.4% 76.4% 76.4% 1
1990s 89.4% 89.4% 89.4% 1
2000s 94.9% 94.9% 94.9% 1
2010s 98.5% 98.4% 98.7% 2

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 11 Greece 99.0% compare
  2. 12 Singapore 98.9% compare
  3. 13 Albania 98.8% compare
  4. 15 Maldives 98.6% compare
  5. 16 Philippines 98.3% compare
  6. 17 Jordan 98.3% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Portugal?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Portugal was 98.7% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 98.7% in 2018.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 76.4% in 1981.
How does Portugal rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
Portugal ranks 14th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. 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, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-female-percent/portugal/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,216 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the female population between age 25 and age 64 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of female literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.