Gender wage gap in Spain
Spain: Gender wage gap was 5.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Gender wage gap in Spain, 2002–2021
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Spain recorded 5.9% for gender wage gap in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is down 50.0% on the previous year and down 63.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender wage gap in Spain peaked at 20.2% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 2021.
That places Spain 39th out of 67 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Gender wage gap in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 20.2% | — |
| 2006 | 17.9% | -11.5% |
| 2010 | 16.2% | -9.2% |
| 2012 | 18.8% | +15.4% |
| 2013 | 18.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.5% | -33.3% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 17.6% | +41.2% |
| 2019 | 11.8% | -33.4% |
| 2020 | 11.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5.9% | -50.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 5.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 14.9%, 40% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Spain's 5.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.7%, 55% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.1% | 17.9% | 20.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 11.8% | 18.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 5.9% | 11.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More work & labour data for Spain
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.527 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5576 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4982 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1207 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,073 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,322 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,076 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 16,051 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 33,128 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender wage gap in Spain?
- Gender wage gap in Spain was 5.9% in 2021, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender wage gap recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 20.2% in 2002.
- What is the lowest gender wage gap recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 2021.
- How does Spain rank for gender wage gap?
- Spain ranks 39th out of 67 countries with data for 2021.
- Is gender wage gap rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender wage gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Difference between average earnings of men and average earnings of women expressed as a percentage of average earnings of men.