Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Spain
Spain: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 417,633 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Spain, 2004–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Spain recorded 417,633 for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Spain peaked at 648,432 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 417,633, in 2020.
That places Spain 20th out of 40 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 648,432 | — |
| 2005 | 531,951 | -18.0% |
| 2006 | 540,862 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 523,269 | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 621,064 | +18.7% |
| 2009 | 616,579 | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 603,871 | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 620,278 | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 595,031 | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 532,983 | -10.4% |
| 2014 | 515,175 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 526,251 | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 499,663 | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 452,605 | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 417,633 | -7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 580,360 | 523,269 | 648,432 | 6 |
| 2010s | 543,232 | 452,605 | 620,278 | 8 |
| 2020s | 417,633 | 417,633 | 417,633 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More education data for Spain
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 344,203 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 37,817 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 570,954 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 538,977 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.71 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.058 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Spain?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Spain was 417,633 in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 648,432 in 2004.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 417,633 in 2020.
- How does Spain rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
- Spain ranks 20th out of 40 countries with data for 2020.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, urban, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release