Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Spain
Spain: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 99.9% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
99.9%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
3rd
of 87 countries
All-time high
99.9%
in 2021
All-time low
94.2%
in 1981
Years of data
18
1981–2021
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Spain, 1981–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Spain recorded 99.9% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in 2021. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Spain peaked at 99.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 94.2%, in 1981.
That places Spain 3rd out of 87 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 94.2% | — |
| 1991 | 97.5% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 98.6% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 98.5% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 99.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 99.1% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 99.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.9% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 94.2% | 94.2% | 94.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 97.5% | 97.5% | 97.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.8% | 98.5% | 99.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 99.1% | 98.9% | 99.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 99.6% | 99.3% | 99.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 1 Tajikistan 100.0% compare
- 1 Uzbekistan 100.0% compare
- 4 Azerbaijan 99.8% compare
- 5 Armenia 99.8% compare
- 6 Georgia 99.8% compare
More education data for Spain
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.71 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.28 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 248,253 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.83 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.88 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.11 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -3.78 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Spain?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Spain was 99.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 94.2% in 1981.
- How does Spain rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- Spain ranks 3rd out of 87 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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