Early School leaving (ESL)

Spain has made significant progress in reducing early school leaving (ESL) among young people aged 18–24. The ESL rate decreased significantly from 31.7% in 2008 to 13.3% in 2021, reaching a historic low of 13.0% in 2024. Despite this improvement, Spain's ESL rate remains above EU average of 9.5% in 2023 (INE – Encuesta de Población Activa).

Despite this progress, disparities persist across different demographics:

• Nationality: Young people with foreign nationality exhibit higher ESL rates. In 2023, the ESL rate among non-EU nationals was 32.8%, significantly higher than the national average.
• Gender: In 2023, the ESL rate was higher among males (16.0%) compared to young females (11.3%).
• Region: ESL rates vary across Autonomous Communities. In 2023, Ceuta (21.2%), Melilla (20.4%) and the Region of Murcia (19.2%) had the highest rates, while Navarre (6.5%), the Basque Country (6.7%), and Cantabria (7.3%) reported the lowest).

Higher education attainment

The increase in higher education attainment among young people aged 25–29 is notable. In 2023, 58.2% of women and 44.1% of men in this age group held tertiary education degrees. 

This marks a significant rise from previous years; for instance, in 2016, the overall attainment rate for this age group was 42.1%, with 12.6% having higher non-university education and 29.4% holding university degrees or their equivalent.

Source: National Statistics Institute, Annual Population Census, Residence, educational and employment variables for 2024 and 2023).

This upward trend can be attributed to several factors: 

• Shifts in the labour market, especially the decline in demand for low-skilled jobs in sectors like construction and services.
• Expanded access to higher education, supported by government scholarships and digital learning options.
• Increased awareness of the value of qualifications for improving employment prospects and job stability.

Early Childhood Education Enrolment

In the 2022–2023 academic year, 45.6% of children aged 0 to 3 were enrolled in early childhood education, marking the highest rate recorded to date. This represents a 6.8% increase compared to the previous year, with 29,919 more children enrolled.

For children under 2 years old, 30% were enrolled in early childhood education and care, surpassing the OECD average of 18%. By age 2, the enrolment rate in Spain rose to 64%, compared to the OECD average of 42%

Source: https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/eu/prensa/actualidad/2025/05/20250512-estadisticaneaes.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Vocational Training (FP) Enrolment Growth

Vocational Training programs saw a significant increase in enrolment:

• Total FP students reached 1,079,779, a 4.8% rise from the previous year.
• This growth reflects the government's efforts to enhance vocational education pathways. educacionfpydeportes.gob.eselpais.com+1elpais.com+1

Student-to-Teacher Ratio

Spain achieved its lowest primary school pupil-teacher ratio in 2011, with 12.4 students per teacher. In 2017, the ratio slightly increased to 13.13 students per teacher.

In Upper Secondary Education, as of 2022, Spain reported one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios in public upper secondary education among OECD countries, with 9 students per teacher. Lower ratios are linked to better educational outcomes and more personalized instruction.

Source: Ministry of Education, Teacher Statistics 

Educational support

In the 2023–2024 academic year, 1,131,816 students received specific educational support, representing 14% of the total student population. Of these, 292,897 students (25.9%) required support due to disabilities. The remaining 838,919 students received support for other specific needs, such as socio-educational disadvantages, high intellectual abilities or bring non-Spanish nationals with linguistic and cultural barriers.

Source: Ministry of Education Press Release – 2023/2024 Data on Specific Educational Support Needs

International mobility of young people in education and training

According to the 2014 Survey on International Student Mobility (Encuesta sobre Movilidad Internacional de los Estudiantes) 6.7% individuals aged 18 to 34 years have studied abroad during their education. Additionally, over one million young people (11.9% of the total) have done language courses abroad.

The survey on international student mobility, carried out for the first time in 2014, is part of a pilot research project of the European Union which aims to evaluate the international mobility of young people, for reasons of studying or training, in the different stages of formal education, from the first stage of secondary education to doctoral studies.

The Spanish educational system is structured in several levels: 

• Early Childhood Education (Educación Infantil): ISCED 0
• Primary Education (Educación Primaria): ISCED 1
• Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, ESO): ISCED 2)
• Baccalaureate (Bachillerato): ISCED 3
• Vocational Training (Formación Profesional, FP): ISCED 4-5
• Higher Education (Enseñanzas Universitarias/Educación Superior): ISCED 6- 8
• Adult education (Formación de adultos): various ISCED levels.

Compulsory formal education spans ages 6 to 16, covering primary and lower secondary education. Non-compulsory options include Bachillerato (ages 16-18) and Vocational Training. 

Higher Education (Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior), follows the Bologna Process structure: Bachelor´s (Grado); Master´s (Máster); and Doctorate (Doctorado). 

In addition to the core education levels, Spain also offers Specialised Education (Enseñanzas de Régimen Especial), including artistic, sports, and language education. These programmes typically begin from age 18 and offer flexible pathways tailored to students’ interests and talents, complementing the formal education system

• Educational cycle (Ciclo educativo): A set of educational stages with specific objective and criteria.
• Technician Degree (Título de Ténico/Grado Técnico): Professional qualification awarded upon completion of intermediate vocational training and some Specialised Education. Although its main objective is qualification for the working world, both qualifications enable the continuation of other studies. The Technician degree allows access to the Baccalaureate or higher Vocational Training after having passed a specific training course, and the Senior Technician enables study at degree courses related to the studies of Vocational Training courses.
• Professional module (Módulo profesional): It is the minimum unit of contents that are creditable in Vocational Training, whose satisfactory evaluation leads to obtaining the Vocational Training qualifications in the Educational System and to the Professional Certificates.
• Professional Qualification (Cualificación profesional): Set of professional competencies with relevance in the employment that can be acquired through modular training or other types of training, as well as through work experience, as set in the Organic Law 5/2002 on Qualifications and Vocational training (Ley Orgánica 5/2002, de 19 de junio, de las Cualificaciones y de la Formación Profesional.
• Curriculum (Currículo): Based on the definition made in the Education Law (Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación), it is a set of objectives, basic competencies, contents, pedagogical methods and evaluation criteria.