Bruno P. Carvalho, Pedro Freitas, Susana Peralta, Francisco M. Pereira, Juan Carlos Rodríguez and Mercedes Esteban Villar, Research by the Social Observatory in collaboration with the European Foundation for Society and Education and the Nova School of Business and Economics;
Private tuition, often referred to as 'shadow education', has become a key tool for personalising learning and addressing the individual needs of students, particularly in situations where traditional teaching fails to bridge all gaps. This practica is common among families in countries such as Portugal and Spain who are seeking to help their children overcome learning difficulties or prepare them for important exams. lt is therefore essential to understand and measure this market in order to tackle educational inequalities. In 2024, national representative surveys were conducted in both countries: 2,400 households surveyed in Portugal and 2,500 in Spain. These helped to analyse the private tuition market from a sociodemographic perspective. The results show that students who perform poorly academically, exhibit behavioural problems, or have special educational needs are significantly more likely to receive private lessons. This indicates that families use private tuition to support their children through specific educational challenges.
Key points
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1Private tuition is more common in Spain (25%) than in Portugal (20.1%), with its use increasing significantly at the upper secondary level, where approximately one in three students receives external support. This pattern reftects the importance that families attach to this stage of education, which precedes university entry, thereby suggesting a growing reliance on private lessons as a tool to ensure academic success at decisiva moments.
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2The most requested private lesson in Portugal is mathematics (68.4%), followed by the country's mother tongue (Portuguesa, 45.8%). While in Spain, the leading subject is English (52.7%), followed by mathematics (40.2%). This difference may be related to national educational priorities and pressure to pursue STEM careers, in which mathematics plays a central role.
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3A history of poor performance (such as failing a subject or repeating ayear) correlatas with higher rates of private lessons (for example, 33.5% versus 19.9% among those who have never failed in Portugal; 29.6% versus 24.8% in Spain).
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4The average monthly expenditure per student is 126.40 euros in Portugal and 97 euros in Spain, a difference of almost 30 euros. Expenditure in Portugal is more evenly distributed across subjects, whereas in Spain, the largest share of expenditure is accounted for by mathematics. There is also a significant informal economy, especially in Portugal, where only 58% of services are invoiced, representing an informal market worth 127 million euros per year.
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5Families with greater economic capacity spend 18% more in Spain and 28% more in Portugal on private tuition than families with limited income. Nevertheless, many families with financial difficulties choose to invest in private tuition, which may involve sacrificas in other areas of family spending. This demonstrates that private tuition can exacerbate educational inequalities, given that access to this resource is largely dependent on income levels.
