Spain: Repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Spain's repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) fell 0.5 percentage points on 2016 (from 3% to 2.5%).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2016), the average change was −0.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.91 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 1.26 percentage points in 1987 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.12 percentage points in 1988. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2017, Spain had the 16th highest value of the 50 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 2017 ranking

• Chile — 13th of 50: 3.01%
• Venezuela, RB — 14th of 50: 2.94%
• Austria — 15th of 50: 2.92%
• Türkiye — 17th of 50: 2.37%
• Belgium — 18th of 50: 2.21%
• Honduras — 19th of 50: 2.07%

What this measures

Repeaters in primary school are the number of students enrolled in the same grade as in the previous year, as a percentage of all students enrolled in primary school.

Limitations: Country policies on repetition and promotion differ. In some cases the number of repeaters is controlled because of limited capacity. In other cases the number of repeaters is almost 0 because of automatic promotion – suggesting a system that is highly efficient but that may not be endowing students with enough cognitive skills.

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

All 25 values

Repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) in nearby economies

• Albania — 0.85% (2018)
• Andorra — 0.74% (2018)
• Armenia — 0.27% (2018)
• Austria — 2.92% (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 0.13% (2018)
• Belarus — 0.04% (2018)
• Belgium — 2.21% (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 0.09% (2018)
• Bulgaria — 0.08% (2017)
• Croatia

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
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Spain's repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment)?

2.5% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is down 3.91 percentage points from 6.41% in 1981. The highest value was 6.9% in 1982 and the lowest 2.19% in 2015.

How does Spain rank?

16th highest of 50 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) unusual for Spain?

In 2017, Spain's repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) fell 0.5 percentage points on 2016 (from 3% to 2.5%). Across the 20 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2016), the average change was −0.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.91 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.REPT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.