Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain

Spain: Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life was 78.1% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
78.1%
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
20th
of 34 countries
All-time high
89.0%
in 2006
All-time low
67.5%
in 1988
Years of data
31
1985–2016

Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain, 1985–2016

0204060801985200020161985: 70 %1986: 72.7 %1987: 72.8 %1988: 67.5 %1989: 78 %1990: 76.6 %1991: 79.1 %1992: 75.7 %1993: 71.5 %1994: 71 %1996: 80.2 %1997: 77.4 %1998: 72.4 %1999: 83.5 %2000: 81.9 %2001: 84.6 %2002: 82.4 %2003: 83.2 %2004: 86.5 %2005: 84.6 %2006: 89 %2007: 87.1 %2008: 84 %2009: 75.2 %2010: 76.8 %2011: 74.6 %2012: 71.8 %2013: 69.5 %2014: 72.7 %2015: 77.1 %2016: 78.1 %

Source: Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain is 78.1%, measured in 2016.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain peaked at 89.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 67.5%, in 1988.

That places Spain 20th out of 34 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain, 1985 to 2016.
Year % Change
1985 70.0%
1986 72.7% +3.9%
1987 72.8% +0.1%
1988 67.5% -7.2%
1989 78.0% +15.5%
1990 76.6% -1.8%
1991 79.1% +3.3%
1992 75.7% -4.4%
1993 71.5% -5.5%
1994 71.0% -0.6%
1996 80.2% +12.9%
1997 77.4% -3.5%
1998 72.4% -6.5%
1999 83.5% +15.3%
2000 81.9% -1.8%
2001 84.6% +3.2%
2002 82.4% -2.6%
2003 83.2% +1.0%
2004 86.5% +4.0%
2005 84.6% -2.2%
2006 89.0% +5.1%
2007 87.1% -2.1%
2008 84.0% -3.6%
2009 75.2% -10.4%
2010 76.8% +2.0%
2011 74.6% -2.9%
2012 71.8% -3.7%
2013 69.5% -3.1%
2014 72.7% +4.5%
2015 77.1% +6.1%
2016 78.1% +1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 72.2% 67.5% 78.0% 5
1990s 76.4% 71.0% 83.5% 9
2000s 83.9% 75.2% 89.0% 10
2010s 74.4% 69.5% 78.1% 7

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 17 Poland 82.4% compare
  2. 18 Cyprus 80.5% compare
  3. 19 Estonia 80.3% compare
  4. 21 Slovakia 75.4% compare
  5. 22 Latvia 74.3% compare
  6. 23 Croatia 71.0% compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain?
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain was 78.1% in 2016, according to Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 89.0% in 2006.
What is the lowest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 67.5% in 1988.
How does Spain rank for share of people who say they are satisfied with their life?
Spain ranks 20th out of 34 countries with data for 2016.
Is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain data come from?
The figures come from Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-who-say-they-are-happy-eurobarometer/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life
Unit
%
Source
Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
34 places, 751 data points, 1973–2016
Last refreshed

Share of people answering "very satisfied" or "fairly satisfied" to the question "On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with the life you lead?"