Finland vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of the population with tertiary education

Finland
31.2%
in 2020
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
31.1%
in 2020
Finland rank
19th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
20th

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • Finland
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
010203040187019452020

How they compare

Finland currently reports 31.2% against 31.1% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.

Finland ranks 19th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 20th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Finland averaged higher in 12 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Finland United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1870s 0.2% 0.2% 0.0%
1880s 0.2% 0.3% 0.1% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1890s 0.3% 0.5% 0.1% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1900s 0.6% 0.5% 0.1% Finland
1910s 1.0% 0.8% 0.2% Finland
1920s 1.5% 1.1% 0.5% Finland
1930s 2.0% 1.2% 0.8% Finland
1940s 2.7% 1.4% 1.3% Finland
1950s 3.5% 1.6% 1.9% Finland
1960s 5.0% 3.2% 1.7% Finland
1970s 8.6% 9.5% 0.9% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1980s 14.3% 11.6% 2.7% Finland
1990s 20.2% 18.8% 1.5% Finland
2000s 33.0% 25.7% 7.3% Finland
2010s 34.8% 30.5% 4.3% Finland
2020s 31.2% 31.1% 0.1% Finland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population with tertiary education, Finland or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Finland, at 31.2% against 31.1% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between Finland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
0.1%, with Finland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Finland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
Finland ranks 19th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 20th of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Finland vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education/finland/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population with tertiary education
Unit
%
Source
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the population aged 25 to 65 years who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education.