Spain's educational attainment, at least completed lower secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative) was 84.29% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 11.91 percentage points from 72.38% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 84.29% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 77.72% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 72.38% | 2013 |
| Highest | 84.29% | 2023 |
| Lowest | 9.41% | 1970 |
| Average since 2014 | 79.46% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 9.41% | 1970 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Spain's educational attainment, at least completed lower secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative) rose 0.36 percentage points on 2022 (from 83.93% to 84.29%).
Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2022), the average change was +1.37 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.25 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.4 percentage points in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.47 percentage points in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.24 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 95% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 89.18% for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.82%, against 3.08% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2023, Spain had the 30th highest value of the 36 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Spain in the 2023 ranking
- Brunei Darussalam — 26th of 36: 88.69%
- Cyprus — 27th of 36: 85.92%
- Italy — 28th of 36: 84.36%
- Brazil — 30th of 36: 67.2%
- Mauritius — 31st of 36: 66.72%
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 32nd of 36: 65.06%
What this measures
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed lower secondary education.
Limitations: Caution is required when using this indicator for cross-country comparison, since the countries do not always classify degrees and qualifications at the same International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) levels, even if they are received at roughly the same age or after a similar number of years of schooling. Also, certain educational programmes and study courses cannot be easily classified according to ISCED. This indicator only measures educational attainment in terms of level of education attained, i.e. years of schooling, and do not necessarily reveal the quality of the education (learning achievement and other impacts).
All 24 values
| Year | Educational attainment, at least completed lower secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 84.29 |
| 2022 | 83.93 |
| 2021 | 83.31 |
| 2020 | 80.77 |
| 2019 | 81.01 |
| 2018 | 77.72 |
| 2017 | 79.19 |
| 2016 | 75.8 |
| 2015 | 74.81 |
| 2014 | 73.71 |
Educational attainment, at least completed lower secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative) in nearby economies
More education data for Spain
- Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 2.83 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils — 3.71 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2020)
- School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2020)
- School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.03 (2020)
- Tertiary education, academic staff (% female)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Spain's educational attainment, at least completed lower secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative)?
- 84.29% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.CUAT.LO.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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