Portugal allocated 10.3 percent of public expenditures to education

According to European Commission data, Portugal allocated 10.3 percent of its public expenditures to education in 2024. This rate is above the European Union average of 9.7 percent.

The public resources allocated to education in Portugal in 2024 reached 12.6 billion euros. This amount corresponds to 10.3 percent of total public expenditures.

According to the data in the European Commission's "Investing in Education 2026" report, the share of Portugal's education expenditures in total public expenditures was above the European Union average of 9.7 percent.

The share of education in public expenditures was 10.5 percent in Portugal in 2019. This rate decreased to 9.6 percent in 2020; Then, it was recorded as 9.9 percent in 2021, 10.1 percent in 2022 and 10.2 percent in 2023. In 2024, it increased to 10.3 percent.

Compared to gross domestic product, Portugal's education expenditure will be 4.3 percent in 2024. While this rate remained at the same level as 2023, the European Union average was announced as 4.8 percent.

The commission report draws attention not only to the size of education expenditures in the budget, but also to the conditions for attracting and keeping teachers in the profession. According to the report, salary, working environment, professional cooperation and employee well-being are among the factors that affect teachers' decisions to stay in the profession.

In this context, the share of public expenditures being above the EU average is one of the indicators of the resources allocated to the field of education. However, this rate alone does not measure the teacher shortage in classrooms, school conditions or quality of education.

PTNewsHub review

For countries to develop, they need trained personnel, and for this they need regular and qualified education investments. Although the high budget share is important, the main determining point is the extent to which this resource is reflected in the need for teachers, school conditions and the learning process of students.

Practical knowledge

You can take a look at the school guide page in Portugal for the school calendar in Portugal, registration procedures and the basic topics that families should follow.

Sources reviewed

The Portugal News / Lusa news text

European Commission – Investing in Education 2026 main findings

DNoticias / Lusa – Portugal's 2024 education expenditure data