Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Portugal

Portugal: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 16.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
16.1%
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
29th
of 36 countries
All-time high
16.3%
in 2023
All-time low
6.9%
in 1995
Years of data
31
1995–2025

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Portugal, 1995–2025

0510151995201020251995: 6.9 Percentage1996: 7.5 Percentage1997: 7.8 Percentage1998: 8.1 Percentage1999: 7.7 Percentage2000: 9.6 Percentage2001: 8.4 Percentage2002: 9.8 Percentage2003: 11.6 Percentage2004: 10.9 Percentage2005: 12.1 Percentage2006: 12 Percentage2007: 13.7 Percentage2008: 14.7 Percentage2009: 13.9 Percentage2010: 13.7 Percentage2011: 11.8 Percentage2012: 11.9 Percentage2013: 12.3 Percentage2014: 13 Percentage2015: 13 Percentage2016: 13.6 Percentage2017: 13.9 Percentage2018: 13.5 Percentage2019: 14.9 Percentage2020: 13.3 Percentage2021: 14.2 Percentage2022: 14.9 Percentage2023: 16.3 Percentage2024: 15.7 Percentage2025: 16.1 Percentage

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.

Analysis

The most recent figure for over-qualification rates by citizenship in Portugal is 16.1%, measured in 2025.

The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 23.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Portugal peaked at 16.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 1995.

Portugal ranks 29th of 36 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.6% 6.9% 8.1% 5
2000s 11.7% 8.4% 14.7% 10
2010s 13.2% 11.8% 14.9% 10
2020s 15.1% 13.3% 16.3% 6

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 26 Switzerland 17.2% compare
  2. 27 Finland 16.9% compare
  3. 28 Denmark 16.3% compare
  4. 30 Romania 15.6% compare
  5. 31 Sweden 14.9% compare
  6. 32 Hungary 14.3% compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More reference data data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is over-qualification rates by citizenship in Portugal?
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Portugal was 16.1% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 16.3% in 2023.
What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 1995.
How does Portugal rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
Portugal ranks 29th out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Portugal data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

About this data

Indicator
Over-qualification rates by citizenship
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,011 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed