Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) (literacy) in Spain
Spain: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) (literacy) was 98.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Spain, 1981–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Spain is 98.7%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Spain peaked at 98.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 72.2%, in 1981.
That places Spain 7th out of 90 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, female (%) (literacy) in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 72.2% | — |
| 1991 | 85.8% | +18.9% |
| 2004 | 88.0% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 89.6% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 90.4% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 89.7% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 90.2% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 90.7% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 91.2% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 91.8% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 92.1% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 92.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 93.0% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 93.7% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 94.8% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 98.7% | +4.2% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 98.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.8%, 1.2× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Spain's 98.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.4%, 1.0× the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 72.2% | 72.2% | 72.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 85.8% | 85.8% | 85.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 89.6% | 88.0% | 90.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 91.9% | 90.2% | 93.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 96.8% | 94.8% | 98.7% | 2 |
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 elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Spain?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female in Spain was 98.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 98.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.2% in 1981.
- How does Spain rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female?
- Spain ranks 7th out of 90 countries with data for 2021.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. 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 Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%). 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