there were about 1,700,000 inhabitants of Muslim background living in Spain , accounting for 3–4% of the total population of Spain. The vast majority was composed of immigrants and descendants originating from Morocco and other African countries. More than 514,000 (30%) of them had Spanish nationality. Languages Spanish 99% (88% mother tongue) (official nationwide) Catalan 16% (9% mother tongue) (co-official in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, and Valencia — see Valencian) Galician 7% (5% mother tongue) (co-official in Galicia) Basque 1.6% (1% mother tongue) (co-official in Basque Country and designated areas in Navarre). Aranese (a variant of Gascon Occitan) is co-official in Val d'Aran, a small valley in the Pyrenees. Others with no official status: Asturian-Leonese (in the former Kingdom of León and Asturias) Aragonese (in the province of Huesca, Aragon) Arabic (in the autonomous city of Ceuta) Tarifit (in the autonomous city of Melilla) Educational system About 70% of Spain's students in non-university education attend public schools, whereas 79,1% of students in higher education are enrolled at public universities. The remainder attend private schools or universities, many of which are operated by the Catholic Church. Compulsory education begins with primary school or general basic education for ages 6–16. It is free in public schools and in many private schools, most of which receive government subsidies. Following graduation, students attend either a secondary school offering a general high school diploma or a school of professional study in all fields – law, sciences, humanities, and medicine – and the technical schools offer programs in engineering and architecture. Notes See also Health in Spain List of Spaniards Romani people in Spain Ranked list of Spanish autonomous communities References External links Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadística Statistical data about demography and population Build Spanish population graph 1960 - 2013 (World Bank data) Build Spanish population projection graph till 2100 (United Nation data) Build Spanish life expectancy at birth graph 1950 - 2013 (United Nation data)