Labour force by educational attainment level in Portugal
Portugal: Labour force by educational attainment level was 5,582 Thousand persons in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5,582 Thousand persons
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
14th
of 47 countries
All-time high
5,582 Thousand persons
in 2025
All-time low
4,571 Thousand persons
in 1986
Years of data
40
1986–2025
Labour force by educational attainment level in Portugal, 1986–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 5,582 Thousand persons for labour force by educational attainment level in 2025. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force by educational attainment level in Portugal peaked at 5,582 Thousand persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4,571 Thousand persons, in 1986.
That places Portugal 14th out of 47 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Labour force by educational attainment level in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Thousand persons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 4,571 Thousand persons | — |
| 1987 | 4,635 Thousand persons | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 4,683 Thousand persons | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 4,759 Thousand persons | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 4,819 Thousand persons | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 4,978 Thousand persons | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 4,669 Thousand persons | -6.2% |
| 1993 | 4,679 Thousand persons | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 4,726 Thousand persons | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 4,717 Thousand persons | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 4,739 Thousand persons | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 4,791 Thousand persons | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 5,050 Thousand persons | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 5,092 Thousand persons | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 5,149 Thousand persons | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 5,245 Thousand persons | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 5,324 Thousand persons | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 5,344 Thousand persons | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 5,333 Thousand persons | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 5,378 Thousand persons | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 5,409 Thousand persons | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 5,437 Thousand persons | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 5,436 Thousand persons | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 5,392 Thousand persons | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 5,389 Thousand persons | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 5,334 Thousand persons | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 5,285 Thousand persons | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 5,199 Thousand persons | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 5,153 Thousand persons | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 5,132 Thousand persons | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 5,128 Thousand persons | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 5,172 Thousand persons | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 5,183 Thousand persons | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 5,208 Thousand persons | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 5,110 Thousand persons | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 5,101 Thousand persons | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 5,232 Thousand persons | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 5,368 Thousand persons | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 5,434 Thousand persons | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 5,582 Thousand persons | +2.7% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 5,582 Thousand persons is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,201 Thousand persons, 1.7× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 5,582 Thousand persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 4,752 Thousand persons, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4,662 Thousand persons | 4,571 Thousand persons | 4,759 Thousand persons | 4 |
| 1990s | 4,826 Thousand persons | 4,669 Thousand persons | 5,092 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 5,345 Thousand persons | 5,149 Thousand persons | 5,437 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,218 Thousand persons | 5,128 Thousand persons | 5,389 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,305 Thousand persons | 5,101 Thousand persons | 5,582 Thousand persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More work & labour data for Portugal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.055 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0528 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1795 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,134 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,861 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,504 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,250 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 8,754 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force by educational attainment level in Portugal?
- Labour force by educational attainment level in Portugal was 5,582 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest labour force by educational attainment level recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 5,582 Thousand persons in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force by educational attainment level recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,571 Thousand persons in 1986.
- How does Portugal rank for labour force by educational attainment level?
- Portugal ranks 14th out of 47 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force by educational attainment level rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. 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 Labour force by educational attainment level. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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