Italy vs Spain: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary

Italy
55.3%
in 2023
Spain
55.7%
in 2024
Italy rank
74th
Spain rank
73rd

Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary over time

  • Italy
  • Spain
102030405060197019972024

How they compare

Spain currently reports 55.7% against 55.3% in Italy, a difference of 0.4%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Italy ahead.

Italy ranks 74th and Spain ranks 73rd of 142 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 4 and Spain in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy Spain Difference Ahead
1980s 15.3% 12.8% 2.5% Italy
1990s 31.8% 25.1% 6.7% Italy
2000s 40.4% 38.2% 2.2% Italy
2010s 49.0% 48.0% 1.0% Italy
2020s 53.2% 54.8% 1.6% Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, Italy or Spain?
Spain, at 55.7% against 55.3% in Italy as of 2024.
What is the difference in educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary between Italy and Spain?
0.4%, with Spain ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Spain?
33 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2023.
How do Italy and Spain rank globally for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
Italy ranks 74th and Spain ranks 73rd of 142 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Italy vs Spain: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-at-least-completed-upper-secondary-population-25-total-percent/italy/spain/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-at-least-completed-upper-secondary-population-25-total-percent/italy/spain/">Italy vs Spain: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative)
Unit
cumulative
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
142 places, 2,311 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.