Literacy rates among adults in Spain
Spain: Literacy rates among adults was 99.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Spain, 1981–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy rates among adults in Spain stood at 99.7%. That is the highest value across all 18 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 among adults 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More education data for Spain
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 12.6% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.9% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 248,253 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.22 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Spain?
- Literacy rates among adults 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 rates among adults recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 92.8% in 1981.
- How does Spain rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Spain ranks 5th out of 89 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rates among adults 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 rates among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.