Adult literacy rate in Spain
Adult literacy rate in Spain was 99.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is up 1.1 pts from 2020. That is the 8th highest of 10 EU countries in 2011.
Adult literacy rate in Spain, 1981 to 2021
All 18 values
| Period | % |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 99.7 |
| 2020 | 98.6 |
| 2018 | 98.4 |
| 2016 | 98.3 |
| 2015 | 98.1 |
| 2014 | 98.1 |
| 2013 | 98.1 |
| 2012 | 97.9 |
| 2011 | 97.8 |
| 2010 | 97.8 |
| 2009 | 97.7 |
| 2008 | 97.6 |
| 2007 | 97.9 |
| 2006 | 97.8 |
| 2005 | 97.8 |
| 2004 | 97.2 |
| 1991 | 96.5 |
| 1981 | 92.8 |
Rankings
Definition
People aged 15 and over who can both read and write, with understanding, a short simple statement about their everyday life, as a percentage of the population aged 15 and over. UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
UIS figures from censuses, household surveys and UIS model estimates. Most high-income countries stopped measuring literacy decades ago, so they have no value; a missing value is not a rate of 0 or 100. Countries report in different years, so a ranking for one year covers only some countries.
How to cite
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.Citation styles
APA 7
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2026). Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS) (Adult literacy rate, Spain, 1981 to 2021) [Data set]. World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS
MLA 9
Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), Adult literacy rate, Spain, 1981 to 2021. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. World Bank, World Development Indicators, https://data.worldbank.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/spain. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 2026. Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Adult literacy rate, Spain, 1981 to 2021. Dataset. Distributed by World Bank, World Development Indicators. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/spain.
Harvard
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), Adult literacy rate, Spain, 1981 to 2021 [Dataset]. Via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/spain (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{unesco_adult_literacy_rate_spain_2021,
author = {{UNESCO Institute for Statistics}},
title = {{Literacy rate, adult total, \% of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS): Adult literacy rate, Spain, 1981 to 2021}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
publisher = {World Bank, World Development Indicators},
url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/spain. Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult total, \% of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
TI - Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS): Adult literacy rate, Spain, 1981 to 2021
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - World Bank, World Development Indicators
DB - Invokely
UR - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS
L2 - https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/spain
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org).
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/spain.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.
ER -
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What is the latest adult literacy rate in Spain? Cite the source.
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What is the adult literacy rate in Spain?
Adult literacy rate in Spain was 99.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is up 1.1 pts from 2020. That is the 8th highest of 10 EU countries in 2011.
Where does this figure come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.
What was the highest adult literacy rate in Spain?
99.7% in 2021, the highest value since 1981 in this series.