The main area of social change in Spain during the eighties was the educational system, in terms of the sums spent on education by the public sector. However, Spanish public spending in education in relation to Gross Domestic Product is still lower than that of many of the European Union countries. In 1991, public spending on education represented 3.29% of GDP.

     EVOLUTION IN PUBLIC SPENDING ON EDUCATION (1985-1991)
     =====================================================

     Year                     Public Spending on Education
                                  (million pesetas) (*)
     -----------------------------------------------------
     1985                              1,045,894.8
     -----------------------------------------------------
     1986                              1,094,763.5
     -----------------------------------------------------
     1987                              1,191,247.3
     -----------------------------------------------------
     1988                              1,341,654.6
     -----------------------------------------------------
     1989                              1,496,347.2
     -----------------------------------------------------
     1990                              1,623,321.2
     -----------------------------------------------------
     1991                              1,729,447.3
     -----------------------------------------------------

     (*) In 1985 constant pesetas, deflated in the annual
         average Retail Price Index

     Source: Ministry of Education and Science
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