More than 73 per cent of 2-year-olds are in early years education in Spain, which is above the 50 per cent average for OECD countries

Spain's enrolment rates in early years education are higher than international averages from the earliest ages. This is evident from the report 'Education at a Glance 2026. OECD Indicators', which states that in 2024, 73.3 per cent of 2-year-olds were enrolled in early years education in Spain, compared with an average of 50.3 per cent across OECD countries. Since 2015, this enrolment rate has risen by 17.7 percentage points.

As regards children under the age of 2, the report shows that in 2024, 34.5 per cent were enrolled in early years education, compared with an OECD average of 19.5 per cent and 21.5 per cent in the EU25. As for the second stage of early years education, for children aged between 3 and 5, Spain maintains virtually universal enrolment: 97.8 per cent of children aged between 3 and 5 were enrolled in 2024, compared with 89.7 per cent in the OECD and 91.9 per cent in the EU25.

Higher education and employment

The report highlights that the proportion of people aged 25 to 34 with higher education (advanced vocational training and university studies) in Spain rose from 41.0 per cent in 2015 to 52.5 per cent in 2025, compared with an average of 47.5 per cent in the OECD and 45.6 per cent in the EU25.

At the same time, the proportion of young people who had not completed the second stage of secondary education fell from 34.4 per cent to 24.5 per cent.

In Spain, people aged 25 to 64 who work full-time throughout the year and have a higher education qualification earn around 24 per cent more than the average for this group of workers, whilst those who have not completed upper secondary education earn 31 per cent less. In both cases, the differences are similar to those observed in the OECD and EU25 averages.

Furthermore, the earnings advantage of higher education increases over the course of a person's working life. Among people aged 25 to 34, the income of those with tertiary education in Spain is 48 per cent higher than that of those who have completed upper secondary education, compared with 38 per cent in the OECD and 36 per cent in the EU25. Among those aged 45 to 54, this advantage rises to 59 per cent in Spain, although it remains below the 65 per cent figure for the OECD and the 61 per cent figure for the EU25.

In 2025, the employment rate amongst the population aged 25 to 64 with higher education stood at 85 per cent in Spain, compared with 87 per cent for the OECD and 89 per cent for the EU25. Among those who had completed upper secondary education or post-secondary non-tertiary education, the figure for Spain was 75 per cent, compared with 78 per cent for the OECD and 79 per cent for the EU25. These figures show that employment opportunities increase with educational attainment.

Furthermore, in Spain, 60.8 per cent of young people aged between 18 and 24 remain in education, a proportion higher than the OECD average (53.3 per cent) and the EU25 average (58.6 per cent). However, combining study with work is less common: only 10 per cent of young people in Spain study and work at the same time, compared with an average of around 18 per cent across the OECD.

Investment in education

In 2023, Spain allocated 4.7 per cent of its GDP to educational institutions ranging from primary to tertiary education, a figure similar to the OECD average (4.7 per cent) and higher than that of the EU25 (4.3 per cent).

Between 2015 and 2023, public spending on education from primary to tertiary level, both within and outside educational institutions, rose from 3.6 per cent to 3.9 per cent of GDP in Spain, whilst the OECD average fell from 4.4 per cent to 4.2 per cent.

Teaching staff

The report measures teachers' intention to leave the profession, which in Spain's case is comparatively low. According to TALIS 2024, 5.2 per cent of lower secondary school teachers aged between 30 and 49 plan to leave the profession within the next five years, compared with an OECD average of 14.8 per cent. Furthermore, 72 per cent of teachers at this stage are satisfied with their working conditions, excluding pay, and 54 per cent with their remuneration, compared with 68 per cent and 39 per cent across the OECD, respectively.

The indicators included in the 2026 edition reflect the progress made by Spain in expanding access to education and raising the educational attainment of the population, whilst highlighting the need to continue making progress in addressing the present and future challenges facing the education system, the transition from education to employment, and the adaptation of resources and teaching staff to an educational, labour and demographic context that is undergoing transformation.

Non official translation