Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Spain
Spain: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Spain, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Spain recorded 98.7% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2024.
The figure is up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Spain peaked at 100.0% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 1820.
That places Spain 28th out of 190 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 3.6% | — |
| 1825 | 4.5% | +25.1% |
| 1830 | 5.6% | +24.8% |
| 1835 | 7.0% | +24.3% |
| 1840 | 8.6% | +24.0% |
| 1845 | 10.6% | +23.4% |
| 1850 | 13.1% | +22.7% |
| 1855 | 15.9% | +22.1% |
| 1860 | 19.3% | +21.2% |
| 1865 | 23.2% | +20.2% |
| 1870 | 27.6% | +19.0% |
| 1875 | 32.5% | +17.7% |
| 1880 | 37.9% | +16.4% |
| 1885 | 43.5% | +14.9% |
| 1890 | 43.6% | +0.2% |
| 1895 | 43.7% | +0.2% |
| 1900 | 43.8% | +0.2% |
| 1905 | 43.9% | +0.2% |
| 1910 | 44.0% | +0.2% |
| 1915 | 44.1% | +0.2% |
| 1920 | 44.2% | +0.2% |
| 1925 | 44.3% | +0.2% |
| 1930 | 48.3% | +9.2% |
| 1935 | 52.4% | +8.4% |
| 1940 | 56.5% | +7.8% |
| 1945 | 60.5% | +7.2% |
| 1950 | 64.6% | +6.7% |
| 1955 | 80.3% | +24.4% |
| 1960 | 84.5% | +5.1% |
| 1965 | 83.0% | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 95.0% | +14.5% |
| 1975 | 100.0% | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 99.3% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 99.2% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 98.4% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 98.2% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 97.9% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 97.6% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 97.5% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 97.4% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 97.6% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 97.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 98.1% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 98.4% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 98.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 98.6% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.7% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 98.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Spain's 98.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1825 | +25.1% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 4.0% | 3.6% | 4.5% | 2 |
| 1830s | 6.3% | 5.6% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 9.6% | 8.6% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 1850s | 14.5% | 13.1% | 15.9% | 2 |
| 1860s | 21.3% | 19.3% | 23.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 30.1% | 27.6% | 32.5% | 2 |
| 1880s | 40.7% | 37.9% | 43.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 43.7% | 43.6% | 43.7% | 2 |
| 1900s | 43.8% | 43.8% | 43.9% | 2 |
| 1910s | 44.0% | 44.0% | 44.1% | 2 |
| 1920s | 44.2% | 44.2% | 44.3% | 2 |
| 1930s | 50.4% | 48.3% | 52.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 58.5% | 56.5% | 60.5% | 2 |
| 1950s | 72.5% | 64.6% | 80.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 83.7% | 83.0% | 84.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 97.5% | 95.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 99.3% | 99.2% | 99.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 97.9% | 97.4% | 98.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.7% | 98.6% | 98.7% | 5 |
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 gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Spain?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Spain was 98.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1975.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 1820.
- How does Spain rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Spain ranks 28th out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.