Unemployment with basic education in Portugal
Portugal: Unemployment with basic education was 6.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment with basic education in Portugal, 1992–2025
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total labor force with basic education.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment with basic education in Portugal is 6.4%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 11.2% on the previous year and down 51.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment with basic education in Portugal peaked at 17.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2000.
That places Portugal 70th out of 130 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Unemployment with basic education in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force with basic education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 4.4% | — |
| 1993 | 5.4% | +23.4% |
| 1994 | 6.9% | +28.7% |
| 1995 | 7.1% | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 7.3% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 6.7% | -8.9% |
| 1998 | 4.7% | -29.8% |
| 1999 | 4.5% | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 3.8% | -16.0% |
| 2001 | 3.9% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | +13.9% |
| 2003 | 6.2% | +38.6% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | +16.5% |
| 2006 | 7.9% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 7.8% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 10.3% | +31.3% |
| 2010 | 11.7% | +13.6% |
| 2011 | 13.7% | +17.0% |
| 2012 | 16.1% | +17.6% |
| 2013 | 17.0% | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 15.0% | -11.8% |
| 2015 | 13.2% | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | -10.7% |
| 2017 | 9.6% | -19.3% |
| 2018 | 7.2% | -25.1% |
| 2019 | 6.6% | -7.9% |
| 2020 | 6.5% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 6.8% | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 7.4% | +5.0% |
| 2024 | 7.2% | -3.0% |
| 2025 | 6.4% | -11.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.9% | 4.4% | 7.3% | 8 |
| 2000s | 6.7% | 3.8% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 6.6% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.4% | 7.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 67 United States 6.6% compare
- 68 Iceland 6.6% compare
- 69 Kyrgyzstan 6.5% compare
- 71 Pakistan 6.3% compare
- 72 Costa Rica 6.1% compare
- 73 Netherlands 6.1% compare
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 unemployment with basic education in Portugal?
- Unemployment with basic education in Portugal was 6.4% in 2025, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment with basic education recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest unemployment with basic education recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2000.
- How does Portugal rank for unemployment with basic education?
- Portugal ranks 70th out of 130 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment with basic education rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of the labor force with a basic level of education who are unemployed. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).