Australia vs Finland: Share of children achieving minimum proficiency in reading and math at each education level
Australia
72.6%
in 2022
Finland
74.9%
in 2022
Australia rank
14th
Finland rank
11th
Share of children achieving minimum proficiency in reading and math at each education level over time
- Australia
- Finland
How they compare
Finland currently reports 74.9% against 72.6% in Australia, a difference of 2.3%.
Across all 8 years both countries report, Finland has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 14th and Finland ranks 11th of 51 countries.
Finland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Finland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 84.0% | 92.4% | 8.4% | Finland |
| 2010s | 77.1% | 86.0% | 8.9% | Finland |
| 2020s | 72.6% | 74.9% | 2.2% | Finland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children achieving minimum proficiency in reading and math at each education level, Australia or Finland?
- Finland, at 74.9% against 72.6% in Australia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of children achieving minimum proficiency in reading and math at each education level between Australia and Finland?
- 2.3%, with Finland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Finland?
- 8 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
- How do Australia and Finland rank globally for share of children achieving minimum proficiency in reading and math at each education level?
- Australia ranks 14th and Finland ranks 11th of 51 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children achieving minimum proficiency in reading and math at each education level. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of children who achieve minimum math proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. This data accounts for school completion rates to estimate skills for all children, not just those in school.