Spain: Persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Spain's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) rose 0.08 percentage points on 2020 (from 99.89% to 99.97%).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2020), the average change was +0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.91 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 3.35 percentage points in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.24 percentage points in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.28 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 75% 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.

How it compares

In 2021, Spain had the 1st highest value of the 14 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 2021 ranking

• Czechia — 2nd of 14: 99.5%
• Iceland — 3rd of 14: 99.25%
• Cyprus — 4th of 14: 98.07%

What this measures

Persistence to grade 5 (percentage of cohort reaching grade 5) is the share of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach grade 5. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.

Limitations: The estimates have limitations in capturing real trend in that an observed rate will be applied to the underlying indicators such as repetition rate and promotion rate throughout the cohort life, and re-entrants, grade skipping, migration or transfers during a school year are not adequately captured.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 25 values

Persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) in nearby economies

• Albania — 86.65% (2023)
• Andorra — 98.49% (2020)
• Belgium — 99.23% (2022)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 95.72% (2022)
• Cyprus — 98.07% (2021)
• Czechia — 99.5% (2021)
• Denmark — 99.74% (2023)
• Estonia — 99.47% (2023)
• Finland — 99.62% (2023)
• Georgia — 97.77% (2023)

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Spain's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort)?

99.97% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is up 7.1 percentage points from 92.87% in 1980. The highest value was 99.97% in 2021 and the lowest 92.86% in 1987.

How does Spain rank?

1st highest of 14 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) unusual for Spain?

In 2021, Spain's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) rose 0.08 percentage points on 2020 (from 99.89% to 99.97%). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2020), the average change was +0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.91 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.PRS5.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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