Which has higher expenditure on tertiary education, Finland or Switzerland?

Finland, at 26.5% against 26.0% in Switzerland as of 2016.

How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and Switzerland?

42 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2016.

Where does this data come from?

Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Finland vs Switzerland: Expenditure on tertiary education

Finland

26.5%

in 2016

Switzerland

26.0%

in 2016

Finland rank

34th

Switzerland rank

36th

Expenditure on tertiary education over time

Finland
Switzerland

How they compare

Finland currently reports 26.5% against 26.0% in Switzerland, a difference of 0.5%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 42 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Switzerland ahead.

Finland ranks 34th and Switzerland ranks 36th of 160 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Finland averaged higher in 4 and Switzerland in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Finland	Switzerland	Difference	Ahead
1970s	14.5%	18.1%	3.6%	Switzerland
1980s	21.3%	20.0%	1.3%	Finland
1990s	28.3%	20.7%	7.6%	Finland
2000s	32.1%	25.2%	6.9%	Finland
2010s	28.8%	26.1%	2.7%	Finland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher expenditure on tertiary education, Finland or Switzerland?: Finland, at 26.5% against 26.0% in Switzerland as of 2016.
What is the difference in expenditure on tertiary education between Finland and Switzerland?: 0.5%, with Finland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and Switzerland?: 42 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2016.
How do Finland and Switzerland rank globally for expenditure on tertiary education?: Finland ranks 34th and Switzerland ranks 36th of 160 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Finland vs Switzerland: Expenditure on tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/expenditure-on-tertiary-education-percent-of-government-expenditure-on-education/finland/switzerland/

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<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/expenditure-on-tertiary-education-percent-of-government-expenditure-on-education/finland/switzerland/">Finland vs Switzerland: Expenditure on tertiary education</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education)
Unit: % of government expenditure on education
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 197 places, 3,723 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed: 03 September 2026

Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.