Finland vs South Africa: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP
Finland
20.2%
in 2022
South Africa
20.6%
in 2024
Finland rank
32nd
South Africa rank
30th
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP over time
- Finland
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 20.6% against 20.2% in Finland, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1999 it was Finland ahead.
Finland ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 30th of 127 countries.
Finland has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Finland | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.8% | 13.8% | 3.1% | Finland |
| 2000s | 17.4% | 12.8% | 4.6% | Finland |
| 2010s | 20.8% | 16.6% | 4.1% | Finland |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 20.4% | 0.5% | Finland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp, Finland or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 20.6% against 20.2% in Finland as of 2024.
- What is the difference in initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp between Finland and South Africa?
- 0.4%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2022.
- How do Finland and South Africa rank globally for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
- Finland ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 30th of 127 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release