Spain has double the number of 15-19 year olds in higher vocational training or university studies compared to the EU and the OECD

In Spain, the proportion of 15-19 year olds enrolled in higher education (tertiary vocational education and training and university studies) is 20%, almost double that of the OECD and the EU25 (both around 11%), a trend that is largely explained by the momentum and strong presence of tertiary vocational education and training in Spain. This is according to the report 'Education at a Glance 2025. OECD Indicators' published on Tuesday, which shows that in this age range Spain has an enrolment rate of 87%, slightly above the OECD average (84%) and equal to that of the EU25 (87%).

In terms of access to higher education, Spain is unique in that 39% of students enter through higher vocational training (internationally known as short programmes), well above the 16% in the OECD and 10% in the EU25, and 47% of students enter through a university degree, compared to 78% in the OECD and 81% in the EU25. The remaining 14% do so in programmes equivalent to a Master's degree (also above international averages).

The average age of entry into higher education is in line with the OECD and EU25 (22 years), and in terms of gender, Spain reflects the same pattern as international averages, with a female majority (54%), a figure that has increased compared to 2013 and confirms the consolidation of women's participation in higher education.

Upward intergenerational mobility

The report highlights positive upward intergenerational mobility, with 30% of young Spaniards whose parents did not complete secondary education going on to higher education, above the OECD average (26%).

Moreover, the low drop-out rate at this level of education (14%), well below the OECD (21%) and the EU25 (24%), is noteworthy. These results place Spain among the systems with the highest continuity and lowest drop-out rates in higher education, reinforcing the idea of a flexible system with retention capacity. In Spain, women have higher completion rates than men: 49% compared to 30% after four years from the start, and 80% compared to 65% seven years later.

Another aspect highlighted by the report is the wage advantage of tertiary graduates, who earn on average 49% more than those who have completed upper secondary education (4th year of ESO, basic and upper secondary vocational training and Bachillerato), a slightly lower wage advantage than in the OECD (54%) and the EU25 (51%). Higher vocational training graduates earn 11% more than those with upper secondary education, compared to 40% for bachelor's degrees and 76% for master's or doctoral degrees, somewhat lower than the OECD figures (17%, 39% and 83%).

The wage advantage of tertiary education over upper secondary education increases with age: from 45% among the young population (25-34 years) to 61% in the 45-54 age group.

In the 25-34 year-old population, another clear educational progress can be seen, with more than half having higher education qualifications (53%, above the OECD with 48% and the EU25 with 45%) and a significant drop in those with only basic education (24%, although this value is double the international averages).

Early years education

In 2023, Spain excelled in early years education: 32.9% of under-2s were enrolled in formal early years education programmes, well above the OECD (22%) and EU25 average (19.6%), following sustained growth since 2021. Among 2-year-olds, the rate reached 71.2%, up 7 points from 2022 and 15 points from 2021, also well above international averages (52% in the OECD and 51% in the EU25).

Enrolment in the second cycle of pre-school education (3 to 5 years) is practically universal in Spain, with 98% of children enrolled (compared to 85% in the OECD and 90% in the EU25), placing Spain among the countries with the highest rates, along with France and Norway, and well above countries such as Ireland, where it is only 55%. Between 2013 and 2023, Spain recorded a sharp drop of 25% in the population of children aged 0-4 years.

Educational investment

In Spain, educational investment measured as expenditure per student from primary to tertiary education ($13,385) is lower than the OECD average ($15,023) and the EU25 average ($14,285). However, relative to the country's wealth, Spain spends 26.5% of GDP per capita per student, exceeding both the OECD average (25.3%) and the EU25 average (24.3%). These data show that, although Spain invests less per student in absolute terms, it makes a greater relative effort in relation to its economic capacity, placing it in a group of countries alongside Chile, Japan and Portugal, which combine lower expenditure per student with a high relative effort.

Non official translation