Spain's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) was 15.34% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 15.35 percentage points from 30.69% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 15.34% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 21.01% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 30.69% | 2015 |
| Highest | 35.16% | 2013 |
| Lowest | 10.26% | 2006 |
| Average since 2016 | 20.36% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 18.67% | 1992 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Spain's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) fell 0.85 percentage points on 2024 (from 16.19% to 15.34%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 9.45 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.6 percentage points in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.19 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 91% 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 2025, Spain had the 2nd highest value of the 17 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 15.34% | 2025 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 10.75% | 2024 |
| High income | 9.59% | 2024 |
Closest to Spain in the 2025 ranking
- West Bank and Gaza — 1st of 17: 32.63%
- Canada — 3rd of 17: 15.14%
- Austria — 4th of 17: 13.58%
- Chile — 5th of 17: 8.68%
What this measures
The percentage of the labor force with a basic level of education who are unemployed. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 34 values
| Year | Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 15.34 |
| 2024 | 16.19 |
| 2023 | 17.3 |
| 2022 | 18.69 |
| 2021 | 21.06 |
| 2020 | 21.01 |
| 2019 | 20.02 |
| 2018 | 21.96 |
| 2017 | 24.45 |
| 2016 | 27.62 |
Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) in nearby economies
- Albania — 7.58% (2024)
- Armenia — 10.27% (2023)
- Austria — 13.58% (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 12.31% (2022)
- Belarus — 7.74% (2024)
- Belgium — 11.72% (2024)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 14.3% (2024)
- Bulgaria — 13.69% (2024)
More social protection & labor data for Spain
- Net migration — 96,630 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 511,079 (2025)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 10.5% (2025)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 11.89% (2025)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 9.26% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 31.87% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) — 35.49% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate) — 33.74% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Spain's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)?
- 15.34% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1992?
- It is down 3.33 percentage points from 18.67% in 1992. The highest value was 35.16% in 2013 and the lowest 10.26% in 2006.
- How does Spain rank?
- 2nd highest of 17 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) unusual for Spain?
- In 2025, Spain's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) fell 0.85 percentage points on 2024 (from 16.19% to 15.34%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 SL.UEM.BASC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 2026 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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