The latest Shanghai Ranking reveals that 36 Spanish universities are among the world's top 1,000, two fewer than last year.

Despite this drop, many institutions have improved or maintained their positions.

The University of Barcelona leads nationally, climbing into the 151-200 range, followed by the University of Valencia in the 201-300 bracket.

No Spanish university has yet broken into the top 100, a list dominated by U.

S. institutions like Harvard and Stanford.

Meanwhile, China continues to rise, with 203 universities in the top 1,000, surpassing the U.

S. count.

Experts suggest that while Spain's universities face challenges, they remain competitive globally, especially given their limited resources.