According to the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap 2024 Report, 26.6% of Spanish graduates in engineering, manufacturing, and construction were women. According to data from Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities Sistema Integrado de Información Universitaria (SIIU), women make up a smaller proportion of students enrolling and graduating from engineering, industry, and construction programs when compared to men in Spain.
Enrollments
SIIU
According to the SIIU, the number of women enrolled in engineering undergraduate programs in Spain has decreased between 2016 and 2024. The share of women enrolled in undergraduate programs increased from 28.4% in 2016 to 31.8% in 2024.
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure;
The year indicates the end of the academic year (e.g. 2016 refers to the 2015-2016 academic year)
According to SIIU’s 2024 data on selected disciplines in undergraduate programs, Industrial Design and Product Development emerged as the discipline enrolling the highest percentage of women (52.7%), followed by Environmental (48.9%) and Chemical (48.0%) engineering.
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure
According to the SIIU, the number of women enrolled in engineering master’s programs in Spain increased between 2016 and 2024. The share of women enrolled in master’s programs increased from 29.7% in 2016 to 33.0% in 2024.
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure;
The year indicates the end of the academic year (e.g. 2016 refers to the 2015-2016 academic year)
According to SIIU’s 2024 data on selected disciplines in master’s programs, Environmental emerged as the discipline enrolling the highest percentage of women (46.3%), followed by Chemical (43.8%) and Industrial Organization (41.4%) engineering.
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure
According to the SIIU, the number of women enrolled in engineering doctoral programs in Spain increased between 2016 and 2024. The share of women enrolled in doctoral programs increased from 31.2% in 2016 to 31.7% in 2024.
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure;
The year indicates the end of the academic year (e.g. 2016 refers to the 2015-2016 academic year)
According to SIIU’s 2024 data on selected disciplines in doctoral programs, Industrial Organization emerged as the discipline enrolling the highest percentage of women (43.8%), followed by Chemical (42.7%) and Mining and Energy (38.5%) engineering.
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure
Degrees Awarded
SIIU
Historically, fewer bachelor’s degrees in engineering are awarded to women than men. Overall, interest in these fields has decreased, with a little over 20,000 bachelor’s degrees awarded in the 2022-2023 academic year. In the last decade, the number of women getting degrees decreased from 2016 (10,119) to 2021 (6,444). The percentage of women earning degrees increased slightly from 2016 (31.1%) to 2023 (31.6%).
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure;
The year indicates the end of the academic year (e.g. 2016 refers to the 2015-2016 academic year)
According to SIIU’s 2024 data on selected disciplines in undergraduate programs, Environmental engineering emerged as the discipline awarding the highest percentage of degrees to women (54.0%), followed by Industrial Design and Product Development (51.9%) and Chemical (47.5%) engineering.
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure
Historically, fewer master’s degrees in engineering are awarded to women than men. Overall, interest in these fields has grown, with more than 13,000 master’s degrees in engineering awarded in the 2022-2023 academic year. In the last ten years, the number of women getting degrees increased from 2016 (3,070) to 2023 (4,595). The percentage of women earning degrees decreased slightly from 2016 (35.2%) to 2023 (35.1%).
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure;
The year indicates the end of the academic year (e.g. 2016 refers to the 2015-2016 academic year)
According to SIIU’s 2024 data on selected disciplines in master’s programs, Environmental engineering emerged as the discipline awarding the highest percentage of degrees to women (49.4%), followed by Chemical (43.3%) and Industrial Organization (41.9%) engineering.
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure
Historically, fewer doctoral degrees in engineering are awarded to women than men. In the last five years, the number of women getting degrees increased from 2019 (457) to 2023 (523). The percentage of women earning degrees decreased from 2019 (33.1%) to 2023 (32.2%).
*Women as a percent of total shown in figure
The year indicates the end of the academic year (e.g. 2019 refers to the 2019-2020 academic year)
Resources
- Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities. (2024). SIIU.
- The World Economic Forum. (2024). Global Gender Gap Report.
Additional Resources
To view enrollment, graduation, and entrant data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the gender breakdown in Engineering, Manufacturing, & Construction and/or Information & Communication Technologies tertiary programs in Spain, visit the SWE Global Tertiary Education page or the SWE OECD Tableau dashboard.