3.6% of pupils in basic education were held back or dropped out in the 2024/2025 school year.
Down 0.3 percentage points from 2023/2024.
How many pupils are held back or drop out of basic education?
Explore the data
Held back or dropping out, by stage of basic education
2024 / 2025, in percent
Show the data as a table
| Education level | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Primary education | 3.6 |
| 1st cycle | 1.9 |
| 2nd cycle | 3.6 |
| 3rd cycle | 5.7 |
Held back or dropping out, by region and stage
2024 / 2025, in percent
| Geographic localization (NUTS - 2024) | Primary education | 1st cycle | 2nd cycle | 3rd cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 3.6 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 5.7 |
| Norte | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 2.7 |
| Centro | 2.9 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.7 |
| Oeste e Vale do Tejo | 4.6 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 7.2 |
| Grande Lisboa | 4.7 | 2.2 | 5.2 | 7.6 |
| Península de Setúbal | 5.2 | 2.4 | 5.3 | 8.4 |
| Alentejo | 5.1 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 7.5 |
| Algarve | 5.7 | 3.1 | 5.9 | 8.9 |
| Região Autónoma dos Açores | 6.4 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 10.6 |
| Região Autónoma da Madeira | 3.1 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 5.8 |
Held back or dropping out over time, by sex
2015 / 2016 to 2024 / 2025, in percent
- Total
- Men
- Women
Show the data as a table
| Period | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 / 2016 | 6.6 | 7.8 | 5.3 |
| 2016 / 2017 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 4.3 |
| 2017 / 2018 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 4.0 |
| 2018 / 2019 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 3.0 |
| 2019 / 2020 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| 2020 / 2021 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 2.5 |
| 2021 / 2022 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 2.6 |
| 2022 / 2023 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.2 |
| 2023 / 2024 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 3.2 |
| 2024 / 2025 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.0 |
About these data
Show sources, notes, calculation rules and citation
Sources, units, dates, notes, calculation rules, citation and provenance of every chart and table on this page.
- Reference
- Measure P09 of the list of selected indicators: Retention and desistance rate at primary and lower secondary education — %
Comparison with the previous period
Difference calculated by the project from the published values (2024 / 2025: 3.6; 2023 / 2024: 3.9): 3.6 − 3.9 = -0.3 percentage points. Not a value published by Statistics Portugal.
Held back or dropping out, by stage of basic education
- Period
- 2024 / 2025
- Unit
- Percentage (%)
- Geographic localization (NUTS - 2024)
- Portugal
- Sex
- Total
- Data as of
- 3 November 2026
Source
- Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics: Retention and desistance rates in primary and lower secondary education (%) by Geographic localization (NUTS - 2024), Sex and Education level, source last updated 3 July 2026. View in the Statistics Portugal database (0012618)
Suggested citation
Statistics Portugal. People: “Held back or dropping out, by stage of basic education”. http://localhost:4321/en/as-pessoas/p09#x-P09-niveis. Data as of 3 November 2026; accessed 4 November 2026.
Provenance
- Version
INE:0012618@2026-11-03T19:27:37.934Z- Observations checksum (SHA-256)
0f690d98afdc64ccb7345564605ed74298ccea38fb199e30ec79d7d6869ec682
Held back or dropping out, by region and stage
- Period
- 2024 / 2025
- Unit
- Percentage (%)
- Sex
- Total
- Data as of
- 3 November 2026
Source
- Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics: Retention and desistance rates in primary and lower secondary education (%) by Geographic localization (NUTS - 2024), Sex and Education level, source last updated 3 July 2026. View in the Statistics Portugal database (0012618)
Suggested citation
Statistics Portugal. People: “Held back or dropping out, by region and stage”. http://localhost:4321/en/as-pessoas/p09#x-P09-regioes. Data as of 3 November 2026; accessed 4 November 2026.
Provenance
- Version
INE:0012618@2026-11-03T19:27:37.934Z- Observations checksum (SHA-256)
0f690d98afdc64ccb7345564605ed74298ccea38fb199e30ec79d7d6869ec682
Held back or dropping out over time, by sex
- Periods
- 2015 / 2016 to 2024 / 2025
- Unit
- Percentage (%)
- Geographic localization (NUTS - 2024)
- Portugal
- Education level
- Primary education
- Data as of
- 3 November 2026
Source
- Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics: Retention and desistance rates in primary and lower secondary education (%) by Geographic localization (NUTS - 2024), Sex and Education level, source last updated 3 July 2026. View in the Statistics Portugal database (0012618)
Suggested citation
Statistics Portugal. People: “Held back or dropping out over time, by sex”. http://localhost:4321/en/as-pessoas/p09#x-P09-evolucao. Data as of 3 November 2026; accessed 4 November 2026.
Provenance
- Version
INE:0012618@2026-11-03T19:27:37.934Z- Observations checksum (SHA-256)
0f690d98afdc64ccb7345564605ed74298ccea38fb199e30ec79d7d6869ec682