Portugal: Primary education, teachers

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Portugal's primary education, teachers fell 0.7% on 2022 (from 52,476 to 52,131).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2022), the average change was +0.1% and a typical year strayed about 5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 13.8% in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.6% in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 308.06 a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Portugal had the 18th highest value of the 40 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 2023 ranking

• Sri Lanka — 15th of 40: 73,333
• Greece — 16th of 40: 70,680
• Mali — 17th of 40: 59,920
• Romania — 19th of 40: 47,769
• Ireland — 20th of 40: 42,162
• Papua New Guinea — 21st of 40: 40,888

What this measures

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 44 values

Primary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Albania — 9,336 (2024)
• Andorra — 413 (2024)
• Armenia — 7,540 (2024)
• Austria — 35,752 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 38,731 (2024)
• Belarus — 22,228 (2024)
• Belgium — 80,763 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 9,722 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 22,710 (2024)
• Croatia — 13,441 (2023)
• Cyprus — 5,389 (2023)
• Denmark

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Portugal's primary education, teachers?

52,131 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1973?

It is up 17.86% from 44,231 in 1973 (0.33% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 76,444 in 1994 and the lowest 44,231 in 1973.

How does Portugal rank?

18th highest of 40 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in primary education, teachers unusual for Portugal?

In 2023, Portugal's primary education, teachers fell 0.7% on 2022 (from 52,476 to 52,131). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2022), the average change was +0.1% and a typical year strayed about 5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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.TCHR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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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