Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Spain
Spain: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 99.1% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Spain, 1981–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Spain recorded 99.1% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in 2021. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Spain peaked at 99.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 78.8%, in 1981.
That places Spain 6th out of 85 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 78.8% | — |
| 1991 | 89.3% | +13.3% |
| 2004 | 90.5% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 91.9% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 92.3% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 92.7% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 92.0% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 92.2% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 92.6% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 92.8% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 93.3% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 93.8% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 94.0% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 94.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 94.7% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 95.2% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 96.0% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 99.1% | +3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 78.8% | 78.8% | 78.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 89.3% | 89.3% | 89.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 91.9% | 90.5% | 92.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 93.8% | 92.6% | 95.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 97.5% | 96.0% | 99.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More education data for Spain
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.83 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.058 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.38 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Spain?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Spain was 99.1% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 99.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.8% in 1981.
- How does Spain rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- Spain ranks 6th out of 85 countries with data for 2021.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. 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 Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release