Over the past three decades, Portugal has made remarkable progress in education, and today the country’s young people rank among the most highly qualified professionals in the European Union. However, significant disparities in educational opportunities still lie beneath this success.

According to the EDULOG Foundation’s Annual Education Balance 2026 report, 43% of Portuguese citizens aged 23 to 27 held a higher education degree in 2024 — one of the highest rates in the EU. Half of all young people aged 18 to 20 were already enrolled in higher education institutions, up 13 percentage points compared with the pre-pandemic period.

The number of students enrolled in master’s programmes and Higher Professional Technical Courses (CTeSP) continues to grow. Portugal is now among the European countries with the highest proportion of master’s degree holders.

Yet social inequality remains evident, as it does elsewhere. Children of parents with higher education qualifications are still more likely to earn university degrees, while academic difficulties are more commonly observed among students from less educated families, recipients of social support, and international students, often due to language barriers.