Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in Spain

Spain: Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita was 99.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
99.7%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
5th
of 89 countries
All-time high
99.7%
in 2021
All-time low
92.8%
in 1981
Years of data
18
1981–2021

Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in Spain, 1981–2021

0204060801001981200120211981: 92.8 %1991: 96.5 %2004: 97.2 %2005: 97.8 %2006: 97.8 %2007: 97.9 %2008: 97.6 %2009: 97.7 %2010: 97.8 %2011: 97.8 %2012: 97.9 %2013: 98.1 %2014: 98.1 %2015: 98.1 %2016: 98.2 %2018: 98.4 %2020: 98.6 %2021: 99.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Spain recorded 99.7% for literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in 2021. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Spain peaked at 99.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 92.8%, in 1981.

Spain ranks 5th of 89 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 92.8% 92.8% 92.8% 1
1990s 96.5% 96.5% 96.5% 1
2000s 97.7% 97.2% 97.9% 6
2010s 98.1% 97.8% 98.4% 8
2020s 99.1% 98.6% 99.7% 2

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 2 Armenia 99.8% compare
  2. 3 Azerbaijan 99.8% compare
  3. 4 Tajikistan 99.7% compare
  4. 6 Georgia 99.7% compare
  5. 7 Tonga 99.5% compare
  6. 8 Serbia 99.3% compare

See the full ranking of 89 places →

More education data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Spain?
Literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Spain was 99.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest literacy rate vs. gdp per capita recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2021.
What is the lowest literacy rate vs. gdp per capita recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 92.8% in 1981.
How does Spain rank for literacy rate vs. gdp per capita?
Spain ranks 5th out of 89 countries with data for 2021.
Is literacy rate vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
89 places, 916 data points, 1975–2024
Last refreshed

Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.