Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in Spain
Spain: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both was 55.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Spain, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Spain stood at 55.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Spain peaked at 55.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 1970.
That places Spain 74th out of 142 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.2% | — |
| 1981 | 12.8% | +105.6% |
| 1986 | 15.7% | +22.3% |
| 1992 | 20.1% | +28.0% |
| 1993 | 21.2% | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 22.9% | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 24.4% | +6.7% |
| 1996 | 26.6% | +9.0% |
| 1997 | 27.7% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 28.2% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 29.6% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 31.3% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 32.8% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 34.6% | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 35.5% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 37.3% | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 40.4% | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 41.4% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 42.3% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 42.8% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 43.3% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 44.3% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 45.3% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 45.6% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 46.9% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 47.2% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 47.9% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 48.6% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 51.2% | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 50.4% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 53.0% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 53.3% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 55.3% | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 54.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 55.9% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 55.7% | -0.4% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 55.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 79.5%, 70% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Spain's 55.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 81.4%, 68% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both 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 | +105.6% | 6.2% | 12.8% |
| 1992 | +28.0% | 15.7% | 20.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 14.3% | 12.8% | 15.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 25.1% | 20.1% | 29.6% | 8 |
| 2000s | 38.2% | 31.3% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.0% | 44.3% | 53.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.0% | 53.3% | 55.9% | 5 |
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 upper secondary education or in Spain?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Spain was 55.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 55.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 1970.
- How does Spain rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- Spain ranks 74th out of 142 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. 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 upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release