Financial education in Portugal
How it compares, what people complain about, and what is missing
Portugal's financial literacy depends on how it is measured. On the OECD/INFE 2023 adult survey Portugal scored 63,4, 13th of 39 countries and slightly above the OECD-20 average of 62,7, but its knowledge score ranked 21st; on the 2023 Flash Eurobarometer 11 % of Portuguese adults reached a high literacy score, against 18 % in the EU27. The paper sets this next to household outcomes, complaints to regulators, national plans and measures abroad, gives each figure a source and a stated level of verification, tests public claims and field observations as supported, contradicted on average or not measured, and lists what remains open.
Key findings
- OECD/INFE 2023 overall score 63,4, 13th of 39 countries, slightly above the OECD-20 average of 62,7, with the knowledge score ranked 21st (p. 11 and Figure 2 on p. 13; summary p. 3-4). Flash Eurobarometer 525: 11 % of Portuguese adults reached a high literacy score, against 18 % in the EU27 (p. 14).
- The share who saved in the previous year fell from 68,3 % in 2015 to 53,9 % in 2023 (p. 15).
- Complaints to the Banco de Portugal centre on deposits (32,1 %) and consumer credit (24,5 %) (p. 17).