The Ministry of Education defines educational policies, coordinates their implementation and, as its main financer, ensures the smooth running of the educational system. Other ministries, the Autonomous Regions and municipalities also contribute towards funding.

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education is responsible for the higher education policies and funding.

The Ministry of Education finances its central and regional departments, as well as public education institutions, from the state budget.

It also subsidises private and cooperative basic and upper secondary education, according to the terms stipulated in the Private and Cooperative Education Statute.

These were the education budgets for 2020:

Pre-school, Basic and Upper Secondary Education

Source: 2020 Budget, Institute for Financial Management of Education (Instituto de Gestão Financeira da Educação - IGeFE)

These figures refer only to the budget managed by central educational administration services and does not consider those amounts allocated to educational activities by the Autonomous Regions (Azores and Madeira), other ministries or by municipalities which are included in other categories of the state budget.

Science, Technology and Higher Education

Source: Instituto de Gestão Financeira da Educação - IGeFE, CG - 2020

The European Commission has also funded education in Portugal through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Madeira and Azores receive transfers from the Government's budget to finance education in the respective regions, with the exception of higher education.