Netherlands vs Spain: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education

Netherlands
39.6%
in 2023
Spain
38.5%
in 2023
Netherlands rank
30th
Spain rank
32nd

Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time

  • Netherlands
  • Spain
10203040197019962023

How they compare

Netherlands currently reports 39.6% against 38.5% in Spain, a difference of 1.1%.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Netherlands ahead.

Netherlands ranks 30th and Spain ranks 32nd of 101 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 2 and Spain in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Netherlands Spain Difference Ahead
1990s 17.1% 16.9% 0.2% Netherlands
2000s 22.5% 23.4% 0.9% Spain
2010s 29.9% 31.1% 1.2% Spain
2020s 38.2% 37.1% 1.1% Netherlands

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Netherlands or Spain?
Netherlands, at 39.6% against 38.5% in Spain as of 2023.
What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Netherlands and Spain?
1.1%, with Netherlands ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Spain?
28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
How do Netherlands and Spain rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
Netherlands ranks 30th and Spain ranks 32nd of 101 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, female (%). 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

Netherlands vs Spain: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population-8/netherlands/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-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population-8/netherlands/spain/">Netherlands vs Spain: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
101 places, 1,571 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release