Early childhood schooling surges: 73% of 2-year-olds now in school in Spain

73.3% of children aged 2 and 52.2% of children under 1 are now enrolled in early childhood education in Spain, according to the 'Sistema Estatal de Indicadores de la Educación 2026' report published by the Ministry of Education. Source: infobae, elespanol

Enrollment trends

• Among children aged 2, enrollment rose from 61.9% in 2018-19 to 73.3% in 2023-24, an 11.4-point increase. Source: elespanol
• For 1-year-olds, the rate increased from 42.1% to 52.2% (10.1 points). Source: elespanol
• Some autonomous communities exceed 80% for 2-year-olds: Cantabria and Andalucía (81%), Madrid and Galicia (82%), and País Vasco (94%). Source: infobae

Investment and staffing

Public education spending grew by 34.3% in five years, from €53,111 million in 2019 to €71,349 million in 2024. Source: elespanol Average spending per student reached €8,293 in 2023, up 32.8% from 2018. Source: elespanol The system added 84,281 teachers, and the student-teacher ratio fell to 11.1. Source: elespanol The Ministry is drafting a law to lower ratios for infants: 4 babies per educator for under-1s, 6 for 1-2-year-olds, 8 for 2-3-year-olds. Source: infobae