Cross country literacy rates in Spain
Spain: Cross country literacy rates was 99.7 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Cross country literacy rates in Spain, 1475–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2021, cross country literacy rates in Spain stood at 99.7. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cross country literacy rates in Spain peaked at 99.7 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1475.
That places Spain 5th out of 128 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Cross country literacy rates in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1475 | 3 | — |
| 1550 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1650 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1750 | 8 | +60.0% |
| 1900 | 41.3 | +416.2% |
| 1910 | 47.8 | +15.7% |
| 1920 | 56 | +17.2% |
| 1940 | 76.8 | +37.1% |
| 1950 | 82.5 | +7.4% |
| 1981 | 92.81 | +12.5% |
| 1991 | 96.49 | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 97.17 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 97.75 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 97.75 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 97.94 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 97.63 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 97.68 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 97.75 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 97.78 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 97.89 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.08 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 98.09 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.14 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.25 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.44 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 98.59 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 99.7 | +1.1% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 99.7 is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.82, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Spain's 99.7 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.5, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cross country literacy rates in Spain changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | +416.2% | 8 | 41.3 |
| 1750 | +60.0% | 5 | 8 |
| 1940 | +37.1% | 56 | 76.8 |
| 1550 | +33.3% | 3 | 4 |
| 1650 | +25.0% | 4 | 5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1470s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1550s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1650s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 1750s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| 1900s | 41.3 | 41.3 | 41.3 | 1 |
| 1910s | 47.8 | 47.8 | 47.8 | 1 |
| 1920s | 56 | 56 | 56 | 1 |
| 1940s | 76.8 | 76.8 | 76.8 | 1 |
| 1950s | 82.5 | 82.5 | 82.5 | 1 |
| 1980s | 92.81 | 92.81 | 92.81 | 1 |
| 1990s | 96.49 | 96.49 | 96.49 | 1 |
| 2000s | 97.65 | 97.17 | 97.94 | 6 |
| 2010s | 98.05 | 97.75 | 98.44 | 8 |
| 2020s | 99.15 | 98.59 | 99.7 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More education data for Spain
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.71 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.76 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cross country literacy rates in Spain?
- Cross country literacy rates in Spain was 99.7 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cross country literacy rates recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7 in 2021.
- What is the lowest cross country literacy rates recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1475.
- How does Spain rank for cross country literacy rates?
- Spain ranks 5th out of 128 countries with data for 2021.
- Is cross country literacy rates rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Cross country literacy rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).