Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in Spain
Spain: Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban was 37.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Spain, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Spain stood at 37.6%. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Spain peaked at 37.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 1970.
Spain ranks 32nd of 101 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 9.7% | — |
| 1981 | 21.7% | +123.5% |
| 1992 | 13.1% | -40.0% |
| 1993 | 14.5% | +10.9% |
| 1994 | 15.5% | +7.3% |
| 1995 | 16.5% | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 17.9% | +8.5% |
| 1997 | 18.5% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 19.4% | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 20.4% | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 21.6% | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 22.6% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 24.0% | +6.0% |
| 2003 | 24.3% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 24.0% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 26.0% | +8.1% |
| 2006 | 26.2% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 26.7% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 27.1% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 27.4% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 27.9% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 28.8% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 29.3% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 31.8% | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 31.4% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 31.7% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 32.3% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 33.3% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 33.5% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 34.6% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 35.8% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 36.8% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 36.2% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 37.6% | +4.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 37.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 40.2%, 93% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Spain's 37.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 40.3%, 93% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +123.5% | 9.7% | 21.7% |
| 1992 | -40.0% | 21.7% | 13.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.7% | 9.7% | 9.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 21.7% | 21.7% | 21.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 17.0% | 13.1% | 20.4% | 8 |
| 2000s | 25.0% | 21.6% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.5% | 27.9% | 34.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.6% | 35.8% | 37.6% | 4 |
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 educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Spain?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Spain was 37.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 37.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 1970.
- How does Spain rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Spain ranks 32nd out of 101 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release