Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Spain
Spain: Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling was 99.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Spain, 1475–2021
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Spain recorded 99.7% for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in 2021. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Spain peaked at 99.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 1475.
That places Spain 5th out of 128 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1475 | 3.0% | — |
| 1550 | 4.0% | +33.3% |
| 1650 | 5.0% | +25.0% |
| 1750 | 8.0% | +60.0% |
| 1900 | 41.3% | +416.2% |
| 1910 | 47.8% | +15.7% |
| 1920 | 56.0% | +17.2% |
| 1940 | 76.8% | +37.1% |
| 1950 | 82.5% | +7.4% |
| 1981 | 92.8% | +12.5% |
| 1991 | 96.5% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 97.2% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 97.8% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 97.8% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 97.9% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 97.6% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 97.7% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 97.8% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 97.9% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.1% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 98.1% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.1% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 98.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 99.7% | +1.1% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 99.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.7%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Spain's 99.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.5%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | +416.2% | 8.0% | 41.3% |
| 1750 | +60.0% | 5.0% | 8.0% |
| 1940 | +37.1% | 56.0% | 76.8% |
| 1550 | +33.3% | 3.0% | 4.0% |
| 1650 | +25.0% | 4.0% | 5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1470s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 1 |
| 1550s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 1650s | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 1 |
| 1750s | 8.0% | 8.0% | 8.0% | 1 |
| 1900s | 41.3% | 41.3% | 41.3% | 1 |
| 1910s | 47.8% | 47.8% | 47.8% | 1 |
| 1920s | 56.0% | 56.0% | 56.0% | 1 |
| 1940s | 76.8% | 76.8% | 76.8% | 1 |
| 1950s | 82.5% | 82.5% | 82.5% | 1 |
| 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
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 literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Spain?
- Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Spain was 99.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 1475.
- How does Spain rank for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Spain ranks 5th out of 128 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate vs. average years of schooling 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 (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.