Provisional results of the 2020 Doctorate Survey

According to the provisional results of the 2020 Doctorate Survey, carried out by DGEEC, between 2015 and 2020 Portugal saw a 17% increase in the population of doctorate holders living in the country (from 30,807 to 37,113). For the first time, the number of female PhDs living in Portugal (51%) was higher than the number of men (49%), while the percentage of foreign PhDs living in Portugal in 2020 remained very close to the percentage in 2015.

The survey also revealed an increase in the number of employed doctoral graduates and, consequently, a drop in the number of unemployed doctoral graduates (representing 2% in 2020), with the percentage of inactive (retired and other inactive) remaining at 3%.

The breakdown by employment sector shows an increase in the number of doctoral graduates working in the State and Business sectors in 2020, with a decrease in the Higher Education sector.

The number of PhDs living in Portugal who set up a business increased between 2012 and 2020 (1% in 2012, 4% in 2015 and 6% in 2020). Among the resident population, the number of PhDs has been rising steadily since 2012, from 24 to 36 PhDs per 10,000 inhabitants and from 50 to 75 PhDs per 10,000 inhabitants in the working population.

Graph - Evolution of doctoral graduates living in Portugal

For more information, see Doctorate Survey - CDH20 - Provisional Results