Portugal — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Portugal, 1973–2022.
Education spending for Portugal was 4.55% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 46 years, from 1973 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 5.56% in 2009. The lowest was 1.63% in 1973 (about 2.8× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.11% per year.
Portugal ranks 70 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 41%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 4.59%, so Portugal sits below it. It peaked in 2009 and has fallen 18% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved down 8%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 24 of 45 economies; Bulgaria (4.50%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 58% in 1975. That is 7% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1973 level: doubled by 1982. Doubling roughly every 33 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 48th of 49 in 1973 → 43rd of 63 in 1980 → 27th of 50 in 1990 → 31st of 116 in 2000 → 33rd of 130 in 2010 → 62nd of 157 in 2020 → 62nd of 150 in 2022.
Key figures
Full history — 1973 to 2022
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.55% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 4.77% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 4.86% | +0.2 pp |
| 2019 | 4.63% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 4.68% | -0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 5.03% | +0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 4.89% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 5.12% | -0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 5.27% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 4.94% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 5.12% | -0.3 pp |
| 2010 | 5.4% | -0.2 pp |
| 2009 | 5.56% | +0.9 pp |
| 2008 | 4.7% | -0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 4.92% | +0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 4.91% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 5.07% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 5.05% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 5.28% | +0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 5.26% | -0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 5.34% | +0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 5.16% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 5.05% | -0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 5.07% | +0.5 pp |
| 1995 | 4.61% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 4.67% | -0.2 pp |
| 1993 | 4.84% | +0.5 pp |
| 1992 | 4.34% | +0.3 pp |
| 1991 | 4.07% | +0.5 pp |
| 1990 | 3.57% | +0.1 pp |
| 1989 | 3.48% | +0.1 pp |
| 1988 | 3.39% | +0.2 pp |
| 1987 | 3.16% | +0.1 pp |
| 1986 | 3.05% | -0.2 pp |
| 1985 | 3.26% | +0.1 pp |
| 1984 | 3.14% | -0.1 pp |
| 1983 | 3.23% | -0.1 pp |
| 1982 | 3.33% | +0.1 pp |
| 1981 | 3.19% | +0.1 pp |
| 1980 | 3.07% | +0.4 pp |
| 1979 | 2.7% | -0.2 pp |
| 1978 | 2.9% | -0.2 pp |
| 1976 | 3.08% | +0.0 pp |
| 1975 | 3.06% | +1.1 pp |
| 1974 | 1.94% | +0.3 pp |
| 1973 | 1.63% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Portugal’s Education spending in 1974?
1.94% (1974). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Portugal’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1973 and 2022 the series was growing overall: +178.6% in total — about 2.1% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2022: 4.55%; 2021: 4.77%; 2020: 4.86%; 2019: 4.63%; 2018: 4.68%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.