Spain

Did You Know?

Population
46.1
mil.
Visitors per year
52.7
mil.
Renewable energy
9.47
%

How’s Life?

Spain performs favourably in several measures of well-being, and ranks close to the average or higher in several topics in the Better Life Index.

Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Spain, the average household net-adjusted disposable income is 22 847 USD a year, slightly less than the OECD average of 23 047 USD a year. But there is a considerable gap between the richest and poorest – the top 20% of the population earn more than six times as much as the bottom 20%.

In terms of employment, around 58% of people aged 15 to 64 in Spain have a paid job, below the OECD employment average of 66%. Some 64% of men are in paid work, compared with 53% of women. People in Spain work 1 690 hours a year, less than the OECD average of 1 776 hours. Only 6% of employees work very long hours, less than the OECD average of 9%, with 9% of men working very long hours compared with just 4% for women.

Having a good education is an important requisite for finding a job. In Spain, 53% of adults aged 25-64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, lower than the OECD average of 74%. This is slightly truer of women than men, as 52% of men have successfully completed high-school compared with 54% of women. In terms of the quality of the educational system, the average student scored 484 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), lower than the OECD average of 497. On average in Spain, girls and boys performed equally, compared with an average OECD gap of 9 points in favour of girls.

In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Spain is 82 years, two years higher than the OECD average of 80 years. Life expectancy for women is 85 years, compared with 79 for men. The level of atmospheric PM10 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs – is 25 micrograms per cubic meter, higher than the OECD average of 21 micrograms per cubic meter. Spain also performs below the OECD average in terms of water quality, as 79% of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, below the OECD average of 84%.

Concerning the public sphere, there is a strong sense of community and moderate levels of civic participation in Spain, where 93% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need, higher than the OECD average of 90%. Voter turnout, a measure of public trust in government and of citizens’ participation in the political process, was 69% during recent elections; this figure is slightly lower than the OECD average of 72%. There is little difference in voting levels across society; voter turnout for the top 20% of the population is 76% and for the bottom 20% it is 66%, a slightly narrower gap than the OECD average gap of 12 percentage points.

In general, 73% of people in Spain say they have more positive experiences in an average day (feelings of rest, pride in accomplishment, enjoyment, etc) than negative ones (pain, worry, sadness, boredom, etc), less than the OECD average of 80%.

Topics

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Spain in Detail

Housing

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Key Findings

Living in satisfactory housing conditions is one of the most important aspects of people’s lives. Housing is essential to meet basic needs, such as shelter, but it is not just a question of four walls and a roof. Housing should offer a place to sleep and rest where people feel safe and have privacy and personal space; somewhere they can raise a family. All of these elements help make a house a home. And of course there is the question whether people can afford adequate housing.

Housing costs take up a large share of the household budget and represent the largest single expenditure for many individuals and families, by the time you add up elements such as rent, gas, electricity, water, furniture or repairs. In Spain, households on average spend 20% of their gross adjusted disposable income on keeping a roof over their heads, slightly below the OECD average of 21%.

In addition to housing costs it is also important to examine living conditions, such as the average number of rooms shared per person and whether households have access to basic facilities. In Spain, 94% of people say they are satisfied with their current housing situation, more than the OECD average of 87% and one of the highest scores in OECD countries. This high level of subjective satisfaction reflects Spain’s good performance in objective housing indicators.

The number of rooms in a dwelling, divided by the number of persons living there, indicates whether residents are living in crowded conditions. Overcrowded housing may have a negative impact on physical and mental health, relations with others and children’s development. In addition, dense living conditions are often a sign of inadequate water and sewage supply. In Spain, the average home contains 1.8 rooms per person, more than the OECD average of 1.6 rooms per person. In terms of basic facilities, nearly every dwelling in Spain contains private access to an indoor flushing toilet, more than the OECD average of 97.8%.

Indicators

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Income

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Key Findings

While money may not buy happiness, it is an important means to achieving higher living standards and thus greater well-being. Higher economic wealth may also improve access to quality education, healthcare and housing.

Household net-adjusted disposable income is the amount of money that a household earns each year after tax. It represents the money available to a household for spending on goods or services. In Spain, the average household net-adjusted disposable income is 22 847 USD a year, slightly lower than the OECD average of 23 047 USD.

Household financial wealth is the total value of a household’s financial worth. In Spain, the average household net financial wealth is estimated at 21 636 USD, lower than the OECD average of 40 516 USD. While the ideal measure of household wealth should include real assets (e.g. land and dwellings), such information is currently available for only a small number of OECD countries.

Despite a general increase in living standards across OECD countries over the past fifteen years, not all people have benefited from this to the same extent. In Spain, the average net adjusted disposable income of the top 20% of the population is an estimated 45 150 USD a year, whereas the bottom 20% live on an estimated 7 008 USD a year.

 

Indicators

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Jobs

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Key Findings

Having a job brings many important benefits, including: providing a source of income, improving social inclusion, fulfilling one’s own aspirations, building self-esteem and developing skills and competencies. In Spain, around 58% of the working-age population aged 15 to 64 has a paid job. This figure is lower than the OECD employment average of 66%.

Women are still less likely than men to participate in the labour market. In Spain, 53% of women have jobs. This is less than the OECD average of 60% and less than the 64% employment rate of men in Spain. This 11 percentage point gender difference is slightly below the 12 percentage point OECD average difference and suggests Spain could further improve employment opportunities for women but has generally been successful in addressing the constraints and barriers women face accessing work.

Young people in Spain, aged 15-24, are facing important difficulties, with an unemployment rate of 46.4% much higher than the OECD average of 16.2% and the highest rate in the OECD.

Unemployed persons are defined as those who are not currently working but are willing to do so and actively searching for work. Long-term unemployment can have a large negative effect on feelings of well-being and self-worth and result in a loss of skills, further reducing employability. In Spain, the percentage of the labour force that has been unemployed for a year or longer is currently at nearly 9.0%, nearly three times the OECD average and the highest rate in the OECD where average unemployment is of 3.0%. There is little difference on average between men and women in the OECD area when it comes to long-term unemployment. In Spain, however, the difference is relatively high with an unemployment rate of 8.6% for men and 9.5% for women.

The wages and other monetary benefits that come with employment are an important aspect of job quality. In Spain, people earn 34 769 US dollars per year on average, slightly more than the OECD average of 34 466 USD. Not everyone earns that amount however. Whereas the top 20% of the population earn 47 165 USD per year, the bottom 20% live on 21 065 USD per year.

Another essential factor of employment quality is job security. Employees working on temporary contracts are more vulnerable than workers with an open-ended contract. In Spain, close to 11% of total employees have a contract of 6 months or less, slightly higher than the average of 10% for 30 OECD countries. This figure suggests greater stabilisation of working contracts could be encouraged for Spanish employees. 

Indicators

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Community

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Key Findings

Humans are social creatures. The frequency of our contact with others and the quality of our personal relationships are thus crucial determinants of our well-being. Helping others can also make you happier. People who volunteer tend to be more satisfied with their lives than those who do not. Time spent volunteering also contributes to a healthy civil society. On average, people in Spain spend 1 minute per day in volunteering activities, less than the OECD average of 4 minutes per day. Around 50% reported having helped a stranger in the last month, slightly more than the OECD average of 48%.

A strong social network, or community, can provide emotional support during both good and bad times as well as provide access to jobs, services and other material opportunities. In Spain, 93% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in a time of need, more than the OECD average of 90%. There is little difference between men and women, as 93% of men believe they have this kind of social support, compared with 94% of women. While gender has little impact on social network support, there is a clear relationship between the availability of social support on the one hand, and people’s education level, on the other. In Spain, around 90% of people who have completed primary education report having someone to count on for help in times of need, compared to 99% for people who attained tertiary education.

A weak social network can result in limited economic opportunities, a lack of contact with others, and eventually, feelings of isolation. Socially isolated individuals face difficulties integrating into society as a contributing member and fulfilling personal aspirations. 

Indicators

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Education

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Key Findings

A well-educated and well-trained population is essential for a country’s social and economic well-being. Education plays a key role in providing individuals with the knowledge, skills and competences needed to participate effectively in society and in the economy. Most concretely, having a good education greatly improves the likelihood of finding a job and earning enough money. Across OECD countries, 83% of people with university-level degrees have a job, compared with just below 56% for those with only a secondary school diploma. Lifetime earnings also increase with each level of education.

Following a decline in manual labour over previous decades, employers now favour a more educated labour force. High-school graduation rates therefore provide a good indication of whether a country is preparing its students to meet the minimum requirements of the job market. In Spain, 53% of adults aged 25-64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, much lower than the OECD average of 74%. Across the OECD, slightly more men aged 25-64 have the equivalent of a high-school degree compared with women from that same age group. In Spain however, 52% of men have successfully completed high-school compared with 54% of women. Among younger people – a better indicator of Spain’s future – 65% of 25-34 year-olds have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, also lower than the OECD average of 82% but showing progress.

The Spanish can expect to go through 17.3 years of education between the ages of 5 and 39, more than the OECD average of 16.5 years. This high level of education expectancy could influence Spain’s future performance in the educational attainment of its 25-34 year-old population.  

But graduation rates, while important, speak little to the quality of education received. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reviews the extent to which students have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies.  In 2009, PISA focused on examining students’ reading ability, skills in maths and level in sciences, as research shows that these skills are more reliable predictors of economic and social well-being than the number of years spent in school.

The average student in Spain scored 484 in reading literacy, maths and sciences, lower than the OECD average of 497. On average, girls and boys performed equally in Spain. Across the OECD, however, girls outperformed boys by 9 points, on average.

The best-performing school systems manage to provide high-quality education to all students. In Spain, the average difference in results, between the 20% with the highest socio-economic background and the 20% with the lowest socio-economic background, is 92 points, lower than the OECD average of 99 points. This suggests the school system in Spain provides relatively equal access to high-quality education.

Indicators

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Environment

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Key Findings

The quality of our local living environment has a direct impact on our health. Having access to green spaces for example, is essential for quality of life. An unspoiled environment is a source of satisfaction, improves mental well-being, allows people to recover from the stress of everyday life and to perform physical activity. In Spain, 17% of people feel they lack access to green spaces or recreational areas, more than the 12 % average of OECD European countries.

Outdoor air pollution is one important environmental issue that directly affects the quality of peoples’ lives. Despite national and international interventions and decreases in major pollutant emissions, the health impacts of urban air pollution continue to worsen, with air pollution set to become the top environmental cause of premature mortality globally by 2050. Air pollution in urban centres, often caused by transport and the use of small-scale burning of wood or coal, is linked to a range of health problems, from minor eye irritation to upper respiratory symptoms in the short-term and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer in the long-term. Children and the elderly may be particularly vulnerable.

PM10 – tiny particulate matter small enough to be inhaled into the deepest part of the lung – is monitored in OECD countries because it can harm human health and reduce life expectancy. In Spain, PM10 levels are 25.4 micrograms per cubic meter, higher than the OECD average of 20.9 micrograms per cubic meter and the annual guideline limit of 20 micrograms per cubic meter set by the World Health Organization.

Access to clean water is fundamental to human well-being. Despite significant progress in OECD countries in reducing water pollution, improvements in freshwater quality are not always easy to discern. In Spain, 79% of people say they are satisfied with water quality. This figure is lower than the OECD average of 84% and suggests Spain still faces difficulties in providing good quality water to its inhabitants. 

 

Indicators

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Civic engagement

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Key Findings

A cohesive society is one where citizens have a high degree of confidence in their governmental institutions and public administration. In Spain, 50% of people say they trust their political institutions, less than the OECD average of 56%. High voter turnout is another measure of public trust in government and of citizens’ participation in the political process. In the most recent elections for which data is available, voter turnout in Spain was 69% of those registered. This figure is lower than the OECD average of 72%.

Even if the right to vote is universal in all OECD countries, not everyone exercises this right. There is little difference in the voting rates of men and women in most OECD countries. This is the case in Spain, where the voter turnout of men and women is similar, at respectively 70% and 68%. While on average there are few differences between men and women concerning participation in elections, income can have a strong influence on voter turnout. In Spain, voter turnout for the top 20% of the population is an estimated 76%, whereas the participation rate of the bottom 20% is an estimated 66%. This 10 percentage point difference is smaller than the OECD average difference of 12 percentage points and suggests there is broad social inclusion in Spain’s democratic institutions. 

Ensuring that government decision making is not compromised by conflicts of interest is key to maintaining trust in government. Transparency is therefore essential to hold government to account and to maintain confidence in public institutions.

Freedom of information laws (FOI) allow the possibility for individuals to access undisclosed information. For such policies to be successful, the public should have a clear understanding of their rights under the law, should be able to file requests with ease and should be protected against any possible retaliation. People in Spain can file a request for information either in writing or online – thus greatly facilitating the FOI process. However, there are no provisions for anonymity or protection from retaliation.

Indicators

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Health

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Key Findings

Most OECD countries have enjoyed large gains in life expectancy over the past decades, thanks to improvements in living conditions, public health interventions and progress in medical care. Life expectancy at birth in Spain stands at 82 years, two years above the OECD average of 80 years. Life expectancy for women is 85 years, compared with 79 for men, a gender difference similar to the 6 year average OECD gender gap, with a life expectancy of 83 years for women and 77 for men.

Higher life expectancy is generally associated with higher healthcare spending per person, although many other factors have an impact on life expectancy (such as living standards, lifestyles, education and environmental factors). Total health spending accounts for 9.6% of GDP in Spain, slightly more than the OECD average of 9.5%. Spain ranks slightly below the OECD average in terms of health spending per person, at 3076 USD in 2009, compared with an OECD average of 3268 USD in 2010. Between 2000 and 2009, total health spending in Spain increased in real terms by 5.6% per year on average, a slightly faster rate than the OECD average of 4.7%.

Throughout the OECD, tobacco consumption and excessive weight gain remain two important risk factors for many chronic diseases. Spain has achieved progress in reducing tobacco consumption, with current rates of daily smokers among adults standing at 26.2%, down from 41% in 1985. However, smoking rates in Spain still remain higher than the OECD average of 21.1%. In many OECD countries, large proportions of the population are overweight or obese. In Spain, the obesity rate among adults – based on self-reported height and weight – is 16.0%, lower than the OECD average of 17.8%. Obesity’s growing prevalence foreshadows increases in the occurrence of health problems (such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and asthma), and higher health care costs in the future.

When asked, “How is your health in general?” 75% of people in Spain reported to be in good health, higher than the OECD average of 69%. Despite the subjective nature of this question, answers have been found to be a good predictor of people’s future health care use. Gender, age and social status may affect answers to this question. On average in OECD countries, men are more likely to report good health than women, with an average of 71% for men and 66% for women. In Spain, the average is 78% for men and 72% for women.  Not surprisingly, older people report poorer health, as do those who are unemployed, or who have less education or income. About 86% of the top 20% of the adult population in Slovenia rated their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, compared to about 70% for the bottom 20%.

Indicators

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Life Satisfaction

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Key Findings

Happiness or subjective well-being can be measured in terms of life satisfaction, the presence of positive experiences and feelings, and the absence of negative experiences and feelings. Such measures, while subjective, are a useful complement to objective data to compare the quality of life across countries.

Life satisfaction measures how people evaluate their life as a whole rather than their current feelings. It captures a reflective assessment of which life circumstances and conditions are important for subjective well-being. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, the Spanish gave it a 6.3 grade, lower than the OECD average of 6.6.

There is little difference in life satisfaction levels between men and women across OECD countries. This is true in Spain, where men gave their life a 6.2 grade and women 6.4. Education levels, however, influence subjective well-being. Whereas people who have only completed primary education in Spain have a life satisfaction level of 5.6, this score reaches 7.1 for people with tertiary education.

Happiness, or subjective well-being, is also measured by the presence of positive experiences and feelings, and/or the absence of negative experiences and feelings. In Spain, 73% of people reported having more positive experiences in an average day (feelings of rest, pride in accomplishment, enjoyment, etc) than negative ones (pain, worry, sadness, boredom, etc). This figure is lower than the OECD average of 80%.

Indicators

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Safety

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Key Findings

Personal security is a core element for the well-being of individuals, and largely reflects the risks of people being physically assaulted or falling victim to other types of crime. Across the OECD, assault rates have generally declined in the past five years. In Spain, almost 4.2% of people reported falling victim to assault over the previous 12 months, slightly more than the OECD average of 4.0%. There is little difference between men and women in assault rates, at respectively 4.1% and 4.3%.

The homicide rate (the number of murders per 100,000 inhabitants) is a more reliable measure of a country’s safety level because, unlike other crimes, murders are usually always reported to the police. According to the latest OECD data, Spain’s homicide rate is 0.8, lower than the OECD average of 2.2. In Spain, the homicide rate for men is 1.1 compared with 0.6 for women.

Fear of crime is another important indicator as it can constrain behaviour, restrict freedom and threaten the foundation of communities. Despite a general reduction in assault rates in the past five years, in many OECD countries feelings of security have declined. In Spain, 73% of people feel safe walking alone at night, higher than the OECD average of 67%. While men are at a greater risk of being victims of assaults and violent crimes, women report lower feelings of security than men. This has been explained by a greater fear of sexual attacks, the feeling they must also protect their children and their concern that they may be seen as partially responsible. 

Indicators

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Work-Life Balance

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Key Findings

Finding a suitable balance between work and life is a challenge for all workers, especially working parents. Some couples would like to have (more) children, but do not see how they could afford to stop working. Other parents are happy with the number of children in their family, but would like to work more. This is a challenge to governments because if parents cannot achieve their desired work/life balance, not only is their welfare lowered but so is development in the country.

People spend one-tenth to one-fifth of their time on unpaid work. The distribution of tasks within the family is still influenced by gender roles: men are more likely to spend more hours in paid work, while women spend longer on unpaid domestic work. Men in Spain spend 107 minutes per day cooking, cleaning or caring, less than the OECD average of 131 minutes and less than half the time spent by Spanish women on domestic work, 294 minutes per day on average. 

Another important aspect of work-life balance is the amount of time a person spends at work. Evidence suggests that long work hours may impair personal health, jeopardize safety and increase stress. People in Spain work 1 690 hours a year, less than the OECD average of 1 776. The share of employees working more than 50 hours per week is not very large across OECD countries. In Spain, some 6% of employees work very long hours, less than the OECD average of 9%. Overall, men spend more hours in paid work: in Spain 9% of men work very long hours, compared with 4% for women.

The more people work, the less time they have to spend on other activities, such as time with others or leisure. The amount and quality of leisure time is important for people’s overall well-being, and can bring additional physical and mental health benefits. People in Spain devote 67% of their day, or 15.8 hours, to personal care (eating, sleeping, etc.) and leisure (socializing with friends and family, hobbies, games, computer and television use, etc.) – more than the OECD average of 14.9 hours. Fewer hours in paid work for women do not necessarily result in greater leisure time. In Spain, men devote approximately 16 hours per day to personal care and leisure and women 15 hours per day.

Better Policies for Better Lives

Spain should strengthen its policies to combine work and family life

Families in Spain find it difficult to combine work and family life, both female employment rates and fertility rates are low in international comparison. At only 1.4 children per woman, fertility rates in Spain have been amongst the lowest in the OECD for the past two decades. Increasingly, women and men first want to establish themselves in the labour market before having children. This has led to a postponement of childbirth and the average age of first childbirth for mothers is now close to 30. Low fertility rates are also related to a fall in the number of large families and a significant proportion of women remaining childless.

Female employment in Spain has risen markedly over recent years, from 32.5% in 1995 to 53% today. However, despite this important increase, female employment in Spain is still below the OECD average (60%); 75% of mothers go back to work only 8 years after childbirth. Governmental efforts in extending coverage and providing support to families to reduce the cost of childcare have led to an important increase in childcare participation. In 2008, 66.9% of children under 6 years old were enrolled in childcare services (the OECD average is 58.2%). However, out-of-school-hours care is limited and many working parents rely on informal providers: about a quarter of grandparents in Spain take care of their grandchildren on a daily basis.

Indicators

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