Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Finland

Finland: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 294,516 number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
294,516 number
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
71st
of 193 countries
All-time high
309,648 number
in 2008
All-time low
59,769 number
in 1971
Years of data
48
1971–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Finland, 1971–2018

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k300.0k197119942018

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Finland recorded 294,516 number for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in 2018.

The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Finland peaked at 309,648 number in 2008 and was at its lowest, 59,769 number, in 1971.

Finland ranks 71st of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Finland, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in Finland, 1971 to 2018.
Year number Change
1971 59,769 number
1972 61,778 number +3.4%
1973 63,303 number +2.5%
1974 67,881 number +7.2%
1975 71,526 number +5.4%
1976 114,272 number +59.8%
1977 119,274 number +4.4%
1978 122,427 number +2.6%
1979 122,825 number +0.3%
1980 122,843 number +0.0%
1981 123,165 number +0.3%
1982 124,831 number +1.4%
1983 127,657 number +2.3%
1984 120,153 number -5.9%
1985 121,182 number +0.9%
1986 127,976 number +5.6%
1987 133,933 number +4.7%
1988 139,375 number +4.1%
1989 146,857 number +5.4%
1990 155,313 number +5.8%
1991 165,714 number +6.7%
1992 173,702 number +4.8%
1993 188,162 number +8.3%
1994 197,367 number +4.9%
1995 205,039 number +3.9%
1996 213,995 number +4.4%
1997 226,458 number +5.8%
1998 250,047 number +10.4%
1999 262,890 number +5.1%
2000 270,185 number +2.8%
2001 279,628 number +3.5%
2002 283,805 number +1.5%
2003 291,664 number +2.8%
2004 299,888 number +2.8%
2005 305,996 number +2.0%
2006 308,966 number +1.0%
2007 309,163 number +0.1%
2008 309,648 number +0.2%
2009 296,691 number -4.2%
2010 303,554 number +2.3%
2011 308,336 number +1.6%
2012 308,924 number +0.2%
2013 309,009 number +0.0%
2014 306,080 number -0.9%
2015 302,478 number -1.2%
2016 297,163 number -1.8%
2017 295,528 number -0.6%
2018 294,516 number -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 89,228 number 59,769 number 122,825 number 9
1980s 128,797 number 120,153 number 146,857 number 10
1990s 203,869 number 155,313 number 262,890 number 10
2000s 295,563 number 270,185 number 309,648 number 10
2010s 302,843 number 294,516 number 309,009 number 9

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 68 Switzerland 306,743 number compare
  2. 69 Hong Kong, China 297,934 number compare
  3. 70 Cuba 296,028 number compare
  4. 72 Norway 288,739 number compare
  5. 73 Hungary 283,350 number compare
  6. 74 New Zealand 267,796 number compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More education data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Finland?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Finland was 294,516 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in Finland?
The highest recorded value was 309,648 number in 2008.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 59,769 number in 1971.
How does Finland rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
Finland ranks 71st out of 193 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Finland data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Finland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/finland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/finland/">Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Finland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
238 places, 8,058 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

The total number of students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.