Literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain

Spain: Literacy rates of younger vs older population was 99.13 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
99.13
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
6th
of 85 countries
All-time high
99.13
in 2021
All-time low
78.79
in 1981
Years of data
18
1981–2021

Literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain, 1981–2021

0204060801001981200120211981: 78.81991: 89.32004: 90.52005: 91.92006: 92.32007: 92.72008: 922009: 92.22010: 92.62011: 92.82012: 93.32013: 93.82014: 942015: 94.22016: 94.72018: 95.22020: 962021: 99.1

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain is 99.13, measured 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, literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain peaked at 99.13 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 78.79, 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.

Literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain, 1981 to 2021.
Year Value Change
1981 78.79
1991 89.3 +13.3%
2004 90.49 +1.3%
2005 91.94 +1.6%
2006 92.29 +0.4%
2007 92.7 +0.4%
2008 92.01 -0.7%
2009 92.22 +0.2%
2010 92.56 +0.4%
2011 92.82 +0.3%
2012 93.28 +0.5%
2013 93.82 +0.6%
2014 93.99 +0.2%
2015 94.22 +0.2%
2016 94.66 +0.5%
2018 95.22 +0.6%
2020 95.97 +0.8%
2021 99.13 +3.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 78.79 78.79 78.79 1
1990s 89.3 89.3 89.3 1
2000s 91.94 90.49 92.7 6
2010s 93.82 92.56 95.22 8
2020s 97.55 95.97 99.13 2

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 3 Georgia 99.51 compare
  2. 4 Tonga 99.5 compare
  3. 5 Azerbaijan 99.23 compare
  4. 7 Mongolia 98.96 compare
  5. 8 Serbia 98.7 compare
  6. 9 Montenegro 98.39 compare

See the full ranking of 85 places →

More education data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain?
Literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain was 99.13 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest literacy rates of younger vs older population recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 99.13 in 2021.
What is the lowest literacy rates of younger vs older population recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 78.79 in 1981.
How does Spain rank for literacy rates of younger vs older population?
Spain ranks 6th out of 85 countries with data for 2021.
Is literacy rates of younger vs older population 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates of younger vs older population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rates-of-younger-vs-older-population/spain/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rates-of-younger-vs-older-population/spain/">Literacy rates of younger vs older population in Spain</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rates of younger vs older population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
85 places, 969 data points, 1975–2024
Last refreshed