Spain vs United Kingdom: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Spain
47.6%
in 2020
United Kingdom
51.3%
in 2021
Spain rank
18th
United Kingdom rank
15th
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- Spain
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 51.3% against 47.6% in Spain, a difference of 3.7%.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.1 times Spain's.
Across all 60 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
Spain ranks 18th and United Kingdom ranks 15th of 42 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Spain | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.8% | 7.0% | 5.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 1.9% | 9.0% | 7.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 7.1% | 19.2% | 12.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 11.8% | 33.5% | 21.6% | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 26.0% | 42.7% | 16.6% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 47.8% | 4.9% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 47.6% | 49.0% | 1.4% | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, Spain or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 51.3% against 47.6% in Spain as of 2021.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Spain and United Kingdom?
- 3.7%, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United Kingdom?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2020.
- How do Spain and United Kingdom rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- Spain ranks 18th and United Kingdom ranks 15th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.