Mexico vs Spain
Mexico vs Spain: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 95.6% in Mexico in 2024 and 99.7% in Spain in 2021, by UNESCO estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Spain, by 4 percentage points, or 1.04 times that in Mexico.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Spain has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2004.
- The world as a whole: 87.2% in 2021.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Mexico | Spain | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 95.6 | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | 95.8 | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 95.1 | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 95.7 | 99.7 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 95.3 | 98.6 | 87 |
| 2019 | 95.4 | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 95.4 | 98.4 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 95 | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 94.9 | 98.3 | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 94.5 | 98.1 | 86 |
| 2014 | 94.6 | 98.1 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | 94 | 98.1 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 94.2 | 97.9 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 93.5 | 97.8 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 93.1 | 97.8 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 93.4 | 97.7 | 83.8 |
| 2008 | 92.9 | 97.6 | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 92.8 | 97.9 | 83.1 |
| 2006 | 91.7 | 97.8 | 82.5 |
| 2005 | 91.6 | 97.8 | 82.6 |
| 2004 | 91 | 97.2 | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | 90.3 | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | 90.5 | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | 96.5 | 75.1 |
| 1990 | 87.6 | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | 92.8 | 68.4 |
| 1980 | 83 | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Mexico vs Spain
Health
- Life expectancyMexico: 75.1 years in 2023Spain: 83.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityMexico: 1.3 per 100 live births in 2024Spain: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityMexico: 10.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Spain: 2.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterMexico: 43% in 2022Spain: 99.6% in 2022
- DepressionMexico: 2.79% in 2017Spain: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateMexico: 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2017Spain: 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationMexico: 130 million people in 2023Spain: 47.9 million people in 2023
- Population growthMexico: 0.88% a year in 2023Spain: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateMexico: 1.91 births per woman in 2023Spain: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationMexico: 80% in 2025Spain: 80.5% in 2025
- Median ageMexico: 28.9 years in 2023Spain: 44.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overMexico: 8% in 2023Spain: 20.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateMexico: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023Spain: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingMexico: 0.74% of GDP in 2025Spain: 2.13% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsMexico: $13.8B in 2025Spain: $37.7B in 2025
- Military spending per personMexico: $104 in 2025Spain: $839 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingMexico: 2.5% of government spending in 2025Spain: 4.7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelMexico: 341,000 people in 2020Spain: 199,000 people in 2020
- National powerMexico: 1.14% of world capability in 2022Spain: 0.66% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersMexico: 0.64% of the labour force in 2020Spain: 0.87% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsMexico: 9 million TIV in 2025Spain: 237 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsMexico: 1 million TIV in 2019Spain: 341 million TIV in 2025