By the numbers

Half a century of laws, in figures

It all began in 1978, when seven deputies from five different groups wrote the Constitution together. Since then: how many laws come out each year, who proposes them, how long they take, and how the decree-law has grown.

Gabriel CisnerosUCD
Miguel Herrero de MiñónUCD
José Pedro Pérez-LlorcaUCD
Gregorio Peces-BarbaSocialists
Manuel FragaAlianza Popular
Jordi Solé TuraCommunists
Miquel RocaCatalan Minority

The seven drafters of the 1978 Constitution. Portraits drawn from photographs by the Congreso, the Senate and Wikimedia Commons.

1,913

laws passed in the Congreso from the I to the XV Legislature

724

decree-laws ratified over the same time

78%

of government bills get through; of the groups' bills, 7.4%

5 to 9

months for a law to reach the BOE after it is filed (median of each legislature)

How many laws come out each year?

Laws, organic laws and decree-laws published in the BOE. Move the pointer or your finger over the chart, or use the arrow keys; tap a type to see it alone.

Adolfo Suárez, prime minister from 1976 to 1981, during the Transition. With the first democratic Cortes, elected in 1977, 38 laws, 7 organic laws and 5 decree-laws came out before he resigned.

2022: 38 laws, 13 organic laws and 20 decree-laws

See the data

Norms with the rank of law published each year, 1977 to 2026
Year	Laws	Organic	Decree-laws	Total
1977	1	0	0	1
1978	2	0	4	6
1979	16	3	1	20
1980	18	4	0	22
1981	14	3	0	17
1982	8	11	2	21
1983	12	3	0	15
1984	8	4	0	12
1985	14	8	3	25
1986	12	2	2	16
1987	13	3	0	16
1988	11	3	0	14
1989	7	1	1	9
1990	10	0	0	10
1991	15	5	0	20
1992	17	3	0	20
1993	5	0	1	6
1994	14	2	3	19
1995	16	8	3	27
1996	10	2	1	13
1997	18	3	1	22
1998	26	2	4	32
1999	23	2	2	27
2000	6	5	6	17
2001	10	4	5	19
2002	21	4	0	25
2003	47	6	0	53
2004	4	2	3	9
2005	15	2	2	19
2006	32	4	1	37
2007	44	12	0	56
2008	4	1	6	11
2009	22	0	6	28
2010	36	5	9	50
2011	30	5	17	52
2012	16	5	25	46
2013	24	4	13	41
2014	27	3	10	40
2015	42	11	6	59
2016	0	0	3	3
2017	8	0	11	19
2018	4	4	19	27
2019	3	1	12	16
2020	11	3	38	52
2021	22	9	28	59
2022	38	13	20	71
2023	11	4	8	23
2024	7	6	11	24
2025	10	3	16	29
2026	4	4	34	42

Source: BOE, consolidated legislation database and daily summaries, state norms. We count from the day the Cortes elected in 1977 first met, July 13; before that, the database only keeps the laws still in force. The gap in 2016 matches a whole year of caretaker government.

Government by government

Norms with the rank of law published while each prime minister was in office. The size of the ring is the volume; its colors, what type they were. Tap a prime minister for the detail.

Pedro Sánchez, since 2018: 109 laws, 47 organic laws and 186 decree-laws. Decree-laws are 54% of the total.

See the data

Government by government
Prime minister	Laws	Organic	Decree-laws	Total
Adolfo Suárez (1977 to 1981)	38	7	5	50
Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo (1981 to 1982)	21	14	2	37
Felipe González (1982 to 1996)	159	44	13	216
José María Aznar (1996 to 2004)	156	26	19	201
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004 to 2011)	187	31	43	261
Mariano Rajoy (2011 to 2018)	118	23	69	210
Pedro Sánchez (since 2018)	109	47	186	342

Source: BOE, state norms, by publication date; Suárez from the day the Cortes first met, July 13, 1977. Each term starts the day the BOE publishes the appointment. The Cortes pass laws; the Government approves decree-laws. "Per year" compares terms of different lengths.

Legislature by legislature

The hollow circle is what was filed in the Congreso; the solid one, what got through. The longer the line, the more fell by the wayside. Above, who presided over the chamber.

XV Legislature, with Francina Armengol presiding over the Congreso: 115 government bills were filed and 22 got through (19%).

See the data

Legislature by legislature
Legislature	Speaker of the Congreso	Government bills: filed	Government bills: passed	Groups' bills: filed	Groups' bills: passed	Decree-laws: filed	Decree-laws: passed
I	Landelino Lavilla	347	236	201	34	73	72
II	Gregorio Peces-Barba	209	187	127	20	40	40
III	Félix Pons	125	108	159	13	20	20
IV	Félix Pons	137	109	180	19	30	30
V	Félix Pons	130	112	162	24	40	40
VI	Federico Trillo	192	172	328	37	85	85
VII	Luisa Fernanda Rudi	175	173	369	19	42	42
VIII	Manuel Marín	152	140	295	21	52	51
IX	José Bono	147	120	330	20	56	56
X	Jesús Posada	163	160	236	6	76	76
XI	Patxi López	0	0	42	0	1	1
XII	Ana Pastor	49	18	375	19	65	63
XIII	Meritxell Batet	1	0	70	0	7	7
XIV	Meritxell Batet	155	89	371	24	97	96
XV	Francina Armengol	115	22	369	11	61	45

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, open data. Groups' bills include those of groups and deputies, of the Senate and of regional parliaments. The XI and XIII Legislatures lasted a few months. The Constituent Legislature is not in the open data. Portraits: the Speakers of the Congreso, from Lavilla (1979) on.

Who proposes the laws that pass?

Each square is 1% of the 2,637 norms with the rank of law passed from the I to the XV. Nine in ten come from the Government.

The 267 groups' bills that passed, by who signed them

Socialist Group: 55 of the 267 groups' bills that passed (21%).

See the data

Who proposes the laws that pass?
	Total
Government bills	1,646
Decree-laws	724
Groups' bills	267
Groups' bills: Socialist Group	55
Groups' bills: People's Party Group	33
Groups' bills: Senate	27
Groups' bills: Convergència i Unió	25
Groups' bills: Congreso committees	23
Groups' bills: United Left and allies	18
Groups' bills: Mixed Group	7
Groups' bills: UCD and centrists	7
Groups' bills: Basque Group (PNV)	7
Groups' bills: Others	65

We group the names each group has had over the years: the People's Party includes Coalición Democrática and Coalición Popular; Convergència i Unió, the Catalan Minority; United Left and allies, the Communist Group and Unidas Podemos; UCD and centrists, the CDS. "Others" covers bills signed by several groups at once, individual deputies, regional parliaments and those with no author.

Who signs the laws?

The King sanctions and promulgates every law the Cortes pass, and issues the decree-laws the Government approves. It is a duty: he cannot refuse them (articles 62 and 91 of the Constitution). Juan Carlos I sanctioned the Constitution itself on December 27, 1978.

Juan Carlos IKing from 1975 to 2014

864609 laws, 131 organic laws and 124 decree-laws

LawsOrganicDecree-laws

2003: 47 laws. In total that year, 47 laws, 6 organic laws and 0 decree-laws.

See the data

Norms signed by Juan Carlos I, by type and year
Year	Laws	Organic	Decree-laws	Total
1977	1	0	0	1
1978	2	0	4	6
1979	16	3	1	20
1980	18	4	0	22
1981	14	3	0	17
1982	8	11	2	21
1983	12	3	0	15
1984	8	4	0	12
1985	14	8	3	25
1986	12	2	2	16
1987	13	3	0	16
1988	11	3	0	14
1989	7	1	1	9
1990	10	0	0	10
1991	15	5	0	20
1992	17	3	0	20
1993	5	0	1	6
1994	14	2	3	19
1995	16	8	3	27
1996	10	2	1	13
1997	18	3	1	22
1998	26	2	4	32
1999	23	2	2	27
2000	6	5	6	17
2001	10	4	5	19
2002	21	4	0	25
2003	47	6	0	53
2004	4	2	3	9
2005	15	2	2	19
2006	32	4	1	37
2007	44	12	0	56
2008	4	1	6	11
2009	22	0	6	28
2010	36	5	9	50
2011	30	5	17	52
2012	16	5	25	46
2013	24	4	13	41
2014	8	0	3	11

The darker the square, the more norms of that type were published that year. Source: BOE, state norms by publication date; Juan Carlos I from July 13, 1977 until his abdication on June 18, 2014. Since 2014 Felipe VI signs: he appears further down, with the decree-laws.

The rise of the decree-law

The Government approves a decree-law for urgent matters and the Congreso ratifies it afterward. It used to be the exception; since 2011 it has been a usual way to legislate.

2020: 38 decree-laws out of 52 norms with the rank of law (73%).

See the data

Decree-laws each year
Year	Laws	Organic	Decree-laws	Total
1977	1	0	0	1
1978	2	0	4	6
1979	16	3	1	20
1980	18	4	0	22
1981	14	3	0	17
1982	8	11	2	21
1983	12	3	0	15
1984	8	4	0	12
1985	14	8	3	25
1986	12	2	2	16
1987	13	3	0	16
1988	11	3	0	14
1989	7	1	1	9
1990	10	0	0	10
1991	15	5	0	20
1992	17	3	0	20
1993	5	0	1	6
1994	14	2	3	19
1995	16	8	3	27
1996	10	2	1	13
1997	18	3	1	22
1998	26	2	4	32
1999	23	2	2	27
2000	6	5	6	17
2001	10	4	5	19
2002	21	4	0	25
2003	47	6	0	53
2004	4	2	3	9
2005	15	2	2	19
2006	32	4	1	37
2007	44	12	0	56
2008	4	1	6	11
2009	22	0	6	28
2010	36	5	9	50
2011	30	5	17	52
2012	16	5	25	46
2013	24	4	13	41
2014	27	3	10	40
2015	42	11	6	59
2016	0	0	3	3
2017	8	0	11	19
2018	4	4	19	27
2019	3	1	12	16
2020	11	3	38	52
2021	22	9	28	59
2022	38	13	20	71
2023	11	4	8	23
2024	7	6	11	24
2025	10	3	16	29
2026	4	4	34	42

Drawn portrait of Felipe VI — **Felipe VI**, king since 2014, has signed 453 norms with the rank of law: 179 laws, 61 organic laws and 213 decree-laws. The Government approves decree-laws; the King issues them.

Source: BOE, state norms by year of publication. In 2016 every norm of the year was a decree-law: there was a caretaker government almost all year and the Cortes passed no laws.

How long does a law take?

Days from filing in the Congreso to publication in the BOE. Each dot is the median: half the laws of that legislature took less, the other half more. Tap a legislature.

X Legislature: half of the 131 laws took less than 155 days, about 5 months, to reach the BOE.

See the data

How long does a law take?
Legislature	Median days	Laws
III	229	32
IV	158	42
V	248	40
VI	246	77
VII	190	96
VIII	259	107
IX	196	96
X	155	131
XII	268	18
XIV	240	103
XV	247	33

Only laws whose Congreso file is linked to their publication in the BOE; with fewer than 30, the median is a rough guide.

Votes in the Congreso plenary

Every plenary vote has been recorded with each deputy's vote since the X Legislature. The area of each circle is the number of votes.

XIV Legislature: 6,583 plenary votes.

See the data

Votes in the Congreso plenary
Legislature	Votes
X	5,836
XI	35
XII	2,307
XIII	15
XIV	6,583
XV	2,189

The XI and XIII lasted a few months. The XV ended when the Cortes were dissolved on October 6, 2026.

Portraits

The portraits are pencil drawings made for El Pleno. This is the reference photograph for each.

Gabriel Cisneros. Photograph by Ministerio de la Presidencia. Gobierno de España (Pool Moncloa) on Wikimedia Commons, attribution license.
Miguel Herrero de Miñón. Photograph by CecovaTV on Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY 3.0.
José Pedro Pérez-Llorca. Photograph by World Travel & Tourism Council on Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY 2.0.
Gregorio Peces-Barba. Photograph by Ministerio de la Presidencia. Gobierno de España (Pool Moncloa) on Wikimedia Commons, attribution license.
Manuel Fraga. Photograph by Xunta de Galicia on Wikimedia Commons, attribution license.
Jordi Solé Tura. Photograph by Ministerio de la Presidencia. Gobierno de España (Pool Moncloa) on Wikimedia Commons, attribution license.
Miquel Roca. Photograph by Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya on Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY 2.0.
Adolfo Suárez. Drawn without a reference photograph.
Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo. Photograph by Puertomenesteo on Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY-SA 4.0. The drawing is a derivative work and is published under the same license.
Felipe González. Drawn without a reference photograph.
José María Aznar. Drawn without a reference photograph.
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Drawn without a reference photograph.
Mariano Rajoy. Drawn without a reference photograph.
Pedro Sánchez. Drawn without a reference photograph.
Landelino Lavilla. Photograph by Ministerio de la Presidencia. Gobierno de España (Pool Moncloa) on Wikimedia Commons, attribution license.
Félix Pons. Photograph by Ministerio de la Presidencia. Gobierno de España on Wikimedia Commons, attribution license.
Federico Trillo. Official photograph of the Congreso de los Diputados.
Luisa Fernanda Rudi. Official photograph of the Senate.
Manuel Marín. Photograph by Urcomunicacion on Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY-SA 4.0. The drawing is a derivative work and is published under the same license.
José Bono. Photograph by Helene C. Stikkel on Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Jesús Posada. Photograph by popularesvalencianos (Flickr), recorte de Asqueladd on Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY 2.0.
Patxi López. Drawn without a reference photograph.
Ana Pastor. Official photograph of the Congreso de los Diputados.
Meritxell Batet. Drawn without a reference photograph.
Francina Armengol. Official photograph of the Congreso de los Diputados.
Juan Carlos I. Photograph by Irekia on Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY 2.0.
Felipe VI. Photograph by Daniel Virgili on Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY-SA 4.0. The drawing is a derivative work and is published under the same license.