Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Spain

Spain: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 17.0% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
17.0%
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
24th
of 98 countries
All-time high
17.0%
in 2018
All-time low
11.2%
in 2004
Years of data
20
1999–2018

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Spain, 1999–2018

0510151999200820181999: 11.9 %2000: 11.9 %2001: 12.1 %2002: 11.9 %2003: 11.2 %2004: 11.2 %2005: 11.3 %2006: 12.3 %2007: 12.6 %2008: 13.2 %2009: 13.2 %2010: 13.7 %2011: 15.8 %2012: 13.5 %2013: 13.7 %2014: 16.2 %2015: 16.2 %2016: 16.5 %2017: 16.4 %2018: 17 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Spain recorded 17.0% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2018. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 29.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Spain peaked at 17.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 2004.

That places Spain 24th out of 98 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%) in Spain, 1999 to 2018.
Year % Change
1999 11.9%
2000 11.9% -0.1%
2001 12.1% +1.4%
2002 11.9% -1.7%
2003 11.2% -5.6%
2004 11.2% -0.6%
2005 11.3% +0.9%
2006 12.3% +9.0%
2007 12.6% +2.4%
2008 13.2% +4.9%
2009 13.2% +0.2%
2010 13.7% +3.7%
2011 15.8% +15.6%
2012 13.5% -14.8%
2013 13.7% +1.7%
2014 16.2% +18.1%
2015 16.2% +0.1%
2016 16.5% +1.6%
2017 16.4% -0.8%
2018 17.0% +3.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.9% 11.9% 11.9% 1
2000s 12.1% 11.2% 13.2% 10
2010s 15.5% 13.5% 17.0% 9

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 21 Andorra 18.5% compare
  2. 22 Kyrgyzstan 18.1% compare
  3. 23 Lao People's Democratic Republic 17.1% compare
  4. 25 Eritrea 16.4% compare
  5. 26 Argentina 16.3% compare
  6. 27 Mongolia 16.2% compare

See the full ranking of 98 places →

More education data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Spain?
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Spain was 17.0% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 2018.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 2004.
How does Spain rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
Spain ranks 24th out of 98 countries with data for 2018.
Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.0%. 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, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-tertiary-education-graduating-from-education-programmes-both/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,156 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

Share of all tertiary graduates who completed education programmes in the reference year.