Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Spain
Spain: Literacy rates vs average years of schooling was 99.7 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Spain, 1475–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Spain recorded 99.7 for literacy rates 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 rates vs average years of schooling in Spain peaked at 99.7 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3, 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 rates vs average years of schooling in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1475 | 3 | — |
| 1550 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1650 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1750 | 8 | +60.0% |
| 1900 | 41.3 | +416.2% |
| 1910 | 47.8 | +15.7% |
| 1920 | 56 | +17.2% |
| 1940 | 76.8 | +37.1% |
| 1950 | 82.5 | +7.4% |
| 1981 | 92.81 | +12.5% |
| 1991 | 96.49 | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 97.17 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 97.75 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 97.75 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 97.94 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 97.63 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 97.68 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 97.75 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 97.78 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 97.89 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.08 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 98.09 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.14 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.25 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.44 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 98.59 | +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 97.65, 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 rates 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 | 41.3 |
| 1750 | +60.0% | 5 | 8 |
| 1940 | +37.1% | 56 | 76.8 |
| 1550 | +33.3% | 3 | 4 |
| 1650 | +25.0% | 4 | 5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1470s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1550s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1650s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 1750s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| 1900s | 41.3 | 41.3 | 41.3 | 1 |
| 1910s | 47.8 | 47.8 | 47.8 | 1 |
| 1920s | 56 | 56 | 56 | 1 |
| 1940s | 76.8 | 76.8 | 76.8 | 1 |
| 1950s | 82.5 | 82.5 | 82.5 | 1 |
| 1980s | 92.81 | 92.81 | 92.81 | 1 |
| 1990s | 96.49 | 96.49 | 96.49 | 1 |
| 2000s | 97.65 | 97.17 | 97.94 | 6 |
| 2010s | 98.05 | 97.75 | 98.44 | 8 |
| 2020s | 99.15 | 98.59 | 99.7 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More education data for Spain
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.71 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.76 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Spain?
- Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Spain was 99.7 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7 in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1475.
- How does Spain rank for literacy rates vs average years of schooling?
- Spain ranks 5th out of 128 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rates 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates 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).