Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Spain

Spain: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 99.3% in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
99.3%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
8th
of 83 countries
All-time high
99.3%
in 2018
All-time low
96.4%
in 1981
Years of data
16
1981–2018

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Spain, 1981–2018

0204060801001981199920181981: 96.4 %1991: 98.4 %2004: 98.9 %2005: 99 %2006: 99.1 %2007: 99.1 %2008: 99 %2009: 99.1 %2010: 99.1 %2011: 99.1 %2012: 99.1 %2013: 99.2 %2014: 99.2 %2015: 99.2 %2016: 99.3 %2018: 99.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Spain recorded 99.3% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in 2018. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Spain peaked at 99.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 96.4%, in 1981.

Spain ranks 8th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%) in Spain, 1981 to 2018.
Year % Change
1981 96.4% —
1991 98.4% +2.0%
2004 98.9% +0.6%
2005 99.0% +0.0%
2006 99.1% +0.1%
2007 99.1% +0.0%
2008 99.0% -0.2%
2009 99.1% +0.1%
2010 99.1% +0.0%
2011 99.1% +0.0%
2012 99.1% +0.0%
2013 99.2% +0.1%
2014 99.2% -0.0%
2015 99.2% +0.0%
2016 99.3% +0.1%
2018 99.3% +0.1%

Spain compared with similar countries

  • Spain's 99.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (17 countries reporting)
  • Spain's 99.3% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.4%, 100% of the median. (10 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 96.4% 96.4% 96.4% 1
1990s 98.4% 98.4% 98.4% 1
2000s 99.0% 98.9% 99.1% 6
2010s 99.2% 99.1% 99.3% 8

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 5 Moldova 99.7% compare
  2. 6 Montenegro 99.5% compare
  3. 7 Tonga 99.4% compare
  4. 9 Turkey 99.3% compare
  5. 10 Singapore 99.3% compare
  6. 11 Albania 99.2% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Spain?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Spain was 99.3% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 2018.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 96.4% in 1981.
How does Spain rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
Spain ranks 8th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Spain data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-male-percent/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,219 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the male population between age 25 and age 64 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of male literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.