Portugal: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Portugal's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) fell 0.4 percentage points on 2016 (from 8.48% to 8.08%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2016), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.65 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.67 percentage points in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.38 percentage points in 1995. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 9% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2017, Portugal had the 16th highest value of the 65 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Portugal in the 2017 ranking

• Senegal — 13th of 65: 10.43%
• Philippines — 14th of 65: 9.82%
• Panama — 15th of 65: 8.56%
• Niger — 17th of 65: 7.86%
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 18th of 65: 7.66%
• Venezuela, RB — 19th of 65: 7.57%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 37 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Albania — 6.58% (2018)
• Armenia — 2.15% (2018)
• Austria — 13.47% (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 7.06% (2018)
• Belarus — 5.54% (2018)
• Belgium — 4.81% (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 3.85% (2018)
• Bulgaria — 1.57% (2017)
• Croatia — 0.86% (2017)
• Cyprus — 1.7% (2017)

More education data for Portugal

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 598,661 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.99 (2020)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 99.36% (2020)
• Secondary education, pupils — 741,752 (2023)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.55% (2022)
• School enrollment, preprimary, female (% gross)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Portugal's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

8.08% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1973?

It is down 15.18 percentage points from 23.27% in 1973. The highest value was 24.34% in 1974 and the lowest 6.83% in 2012.

How does Portugal rank?

16th highest of 65 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) unusual for Portugal?

In 2017, Portugal's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) fell 0.4 percentage points on 2016 (from 8.48% to 8.08%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2016), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.65 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.OENR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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