Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Finland
Finland: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 10.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Finland, 2000–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
In 2022, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Finland stood at 10.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Finland peaked at 12.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 2021.
That places Finland 82nd out of 123 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Finland, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.2% | — |
| 2001 | 12.5% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 12.6% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 12.7% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 12.5% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 12.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 12.4% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 12.2% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 12.0% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 12.1% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 12.0% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 11.6% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 11.1% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 11.0% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 10.9% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 10.5% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 10.2% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 10.2% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 10.4% | +1.8% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 10.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.2%, 93% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Finland's 10.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.6%, 98% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.4% | 12.0% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 10.4% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.3% | 10.2% | 10.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More education data for Finland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,938 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,144 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 94,036 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 89,318 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 543,350 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 360,117 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0641 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Finland?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Finland was 10.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 12.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 2021.
- How does Finland rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Finland ranks 82nd out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Finland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release