Portugal Literacy Rate
Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS
Portugal's literacy rate was 94.48% in 2011, ranked 26th globally. This represents a 7.4% increase from 2010. Data from World Bank, covering 1981–2011.
Overview
Portugal's literacy rate stood at 94.48% in 2011, a rise of +6.53pp from 1991. Portugal ranked 26th globally.
Portugal's literacy rate has shown a steady improvement over the past three decades, with the latest available data from 2011 indicating a rate of 94.48%, ranking 26th globally. This represents a significant increase from the all-time low of 79.44% recorded in 1981. In comparison to its peer countries, Portugal's literacy rate is slightly lower than that of Macao SAR, China, which boasts a rate of 95.64%, but comparable to Türkiye's 94.11%. A closer look at West Bank and Gaza, which ranks higher with a literacy rate of 95.03%, reveals the potential for Portugal to continue improving its education outcomes. However, Portugal's literacy rate has been stagnant since 2011, suggesting a need for renewed investment in education to maintain momentum and continue to narrow the gap with its more literate peers. If Portugal's education sector is able to adapt to the changing needs of the labor market and provide high-quality education to all segments of society, it may be able to surpass its current literacy rate and improve its global ranking.
Data & projection
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Portugal matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 2024. Historically, 71% of countries showing this pattern (546 out of 768) saw literacy rate improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Portugal's literacy rate was 94.48% in 2011. Ranked 26th globally. This represents a 7.4% increase from the previous year.
Portugal's literacy rate peaked at 94.48% in 2011.
The lowest literacy rate in Portugal was 79.44% in 1981.
Portugal ranks 26th globally in literacy rate as of 2011.
The World Bank indicator code is SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
The literacy rate of Portugal in 2011 was 94.48%. This ranks 26th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_portugal_literacy-rate,
title = {Portugal Literacy Rate},
url = {https://historysaid.com/portugal/literacy-rate/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}