Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Spain
Spain: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 70.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Spain, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Spain stood at 70.1%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Spain peaked at 88.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 70.1%, in 2024.
That places Spain 94th out of 155 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 87.7% | — |
| 2001 | 86.8% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 86.4% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 86.4% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 86.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 86.7% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 86.6% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 86.2% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 85.9% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 88.3% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 85.2% | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 85.3% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 84.8% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 83.7% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 82.8% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 82.2% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 81.2% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 79.5% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 78.1% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 77.5% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 75.8% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 74.5% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 72.6% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 70.9% | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 70.1% | -1.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 70.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 87% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Spain's 70.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 82.7%, 85% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 86.7% | 85.9% | 88.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.0% | 77.5% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.8% | 70.1% | 75.8% | 5 |
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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Spain?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Spain was 70.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 88.3% in 2009.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.1% in 2024.
- How does Spain rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Spain ranks 94th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release