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.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 1.6% | — |
| 1974 | 1.9% | +18.4% |
| 1975 | 3.1% | +58.2% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 2.9% | -5.8% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | -6.9% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | +13.6% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 3.3% | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 3.2% | -2.9% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | -6.5% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 3.4% | +7.3% |
| 1989 | 3.5% | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 3.6% | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 4.1% | +14.1% |
| 1992 | 4.3% | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 4.8% | +11.6% |
| 1994 | 4.7% | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 4.6% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 5.1% | +9.8% |
| 1999 | 5.0% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 5.2% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 4.9% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 4.9% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 4.7% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 5.6% | +18.5% |
| 2010 | 5.4% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 5.3% | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 5.1% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 4.7% | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | -4.6% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 4.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.0× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 4.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Portugal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | +58.2% | 1.9% | 3.1% |
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
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5144 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4372 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2572 (2050)
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.
Download this data
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.