ODA Spending

How much ODA does Spain allocate to education?

Spain spent 4% of its total ODA in 2022 on education, indicating that Spain views this sector as being of comparatively lower importance than it is for most DAC donors (on average 7% of DAC donors ODA went towards education).

How is Spanish educational ODA changing?

How does Spain allocate educational ODA?

Bilateral Spending

Spain channeled 39% of its ODA to education bilaterally in 2022, including 2% as earmarked funding through multilaterals.

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

In 2022, the majority of Spain's education ODA, 62% (US$117 million), was disbursed as core contributions to multilateral organizations.

Funding & Policy Outlook

What is the current government's outlook on educational ODA?

SDG 4, Quality Education is outlined as a top strategic priority under the Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation 2018-2020.

Spain aims to focus its external action in the field of education towards

1. Strengthening educational systems;
2. Fostering quality, inclusive education; and
3. Strengthening schooling of the most vulnerable children.

Under Spain’s Foreign Action Strategy (2021-2024), fostering global education is highlighted as a key element.

Education has been listed as a priority intervention under MAEC’s COVID-19 response plans for partner countries.

Spain has increasingly begun prioritizing education within its national and international policies. In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, Spain prioritized education support as a key component of the socio-economic recovery cooperation extended to partner countries affected by the pandemic. In 2019, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers conference, Sánchez named health and education as two of the most valuable sectors of development for accelerating progress on Agenda 2030.

At the Transforming Education Summit, held on the sidelines of UNGA77 in September 2022, Spain announced that Barcelona will host the Giga Technology Centre to foster digital education in collaboration with UNICEF. Before the UNGA plenary session, Prime Minister Sánchez outlined education among Spain’s development priorities. Sánchez stated that it is essential to continue fostering quality education, particularly girls’ education, to advance the human rights and sustainable development agendas.

Key Bodies