Education in Lisboa, Portugal: official figures
The retention and dropout rate in basic education in the municipality of Lisbon was 5.0% in 2023/2024 (national: 3.9%), 4th highest of 10 among the cities profiled here.
How do secondary schools perform in Lisbon?
The secondary-school transition and completion rate in the municipality of Lisbon stood at 88.4% in 2023/2024, 5th lowest of 10 among the cities profiled here; nationally it was 90.4%.
Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copyHow many students are there in Lisbon?
The municipality of Lisbon had 94,787 pupils in basic and secondary education in 2023/2024 and 8,396 teachers in those levels, about 11.3 pupils per teacher (national: 10.2); 40.7% of pupils attended private schools (16.3% nationally).
Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copyHow many students are there in Lisboa?
158,649 students were enrolled in higher education in Lisboa in 2023, 84 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Lisboa have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Lisboa in 2021, 26% had a degree-level education, 37% an upper secondary education and 37% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- In grades 7 to 9 (the third cycle) the retention and dropout rate in the municipality of Lisbon reached 7.0% in 2023/2024, against 6.2% across Portugal. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- The gross pre-school enrolment rate in the municipality of Lisbon was 114.8% in 2023/2024 (Portugal: 100.6%); rates can exceed 100% when children enrol outside their home area. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- 45.3% of secondary pupils in the municipality of Lisbon followed vocational or dual-certification courses in 2023/2024, above the national figure of 39.0%. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- Schools in the municipality of Lisbon had an average of 1.6 enrolled pupils per computer in 2023/2024, compared with 1.2 in mainland Portugal. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- Higher-education institutions located in the municipality of Lisbon awarded degrees to 479.9 graduates per 1,000 residents aged 20 to 29 in 2023/2024, above the national figure of 88.7 (3rd highest of 10 among the cities profiled here). Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- 73% of people in Lisboa were satisfied with schools and other educational facilities (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
How Lisboa compares with other cities in Portugal
Retention and dropout rate in basic education (%) (2023/2024)
Lisboa ranks 4 of 10, highest first.
| Rank | City | Retention and dropout rate in basic education (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Setubal | 6.9% |
| 2 | Vila Franca de Xira | 5.5% |
| 3 | Sintra | 5.1% |
| 4 | Lisboa | 5.0% |
| 5 | Porto | 3.0% |
| 6 | Viseu | 3.0% |
| 7 | Coimbra | 2.1% |
Transition/completion rate in secondary education (%) (2023/2024)
Lisboa ranks 6 of 10, highest first.
| Rank | City | Transition/completion rate in secondary education (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Braga | 92.6% |
| 4 | Coimbra | 92.6% |
| 5 | Viseu | 92.1% |
| 6 | Lisboa | 88.4% |
| 7 | Funchal | 88.2% |
| 8 | Setubal | 86.2% |
| 9 | Vila Franca de Xira | 85.4% |
Pupils per teacher, basic and secondary education (2023/2024)
Lisboa ranks 4 of 10, highest first.
| Rank | City | Pupils per teacher, basic and secondary education |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vila Franca de Xira | 12.2 |
| 2 | Setubal | 12.1 |
| 3 | Sintra | 12.0 |
| 4 | Lisboa | 11.3 |
| 5 | Porto | 11.1 |
| 6 | Braga | 10.6 |
| 7 | Viseu | 10.4 |
Higher-education graduates per 1,000 residents aged 20-29 (by location of institution) (2023/2024)
Lisboa ranks 3 of 10, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher-education graduates per 1,000 residents aged 20-29 (by location of institution) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coimbra | 572.0 |
| 2 | Porto | 563.6 |
| 3 | Lisboa | 479.9 |
| 4 | Braga | 265.9 |
| 5 | Setubal | 117.1 |
| 6 | Viseu | 108.5 |
| 7 | Funchal | 75.3 |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2023)
Lisboa ranks 3 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coimbra | 268 |
| 2 | Braga | 117 |
| 3 | Lisboa | 84 |
| 4 | Porto | 81 |
| 5 | Viseu | 60 |
| 6 | Setubal | 59 |
| 7 | Funchal | 38 |
More on Lisboa: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · all cities in Portugal
Sources
- INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal): Anuarios Estatisticos Regionais 2024 (Regional Statistical Yearbooks, 2025 release): all subchapter tables in XLSX by municipality, NUTS 3 and NUTS 2, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 36f716bda712…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_percep: Quality of life in European cities survey 2023: perception (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81bd3e277f3e…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ceduc: Urban Audit: education (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 af187c7040a4…)
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