Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Finland
Finland: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Finland, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Finland recorded 98.3% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Finland peaked at 100.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1820.
That places Finland 42nd out of 190 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Finland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1.2% | — |
| 1825 | 1.5% | +22.7% |
| 1830 | 1.8% | +22.6% |
| 1835 | 2.2% | +22.3% |
| 1840 | 2.7% | +22.4% |
| 1845 | 3.3% | +24.6% |
| 1850 | 4.1% | +21.9% |
| 1855 | 4.9% | +21.4% |
| 1860 | 6.0% | +21.5% |
| 1865 | 7.3% | +21.0% |
| 1870 | 8.8% | +20.8% |
| 1875 | 10.6% | +20.3% |
| 1880 | 17.6% | +67.3% |
| 1885 | 24.8% | +40.2% |
| 1890 | 21.1% | -14.9% |
| 1895 | 29.5% | +40.0% |
| 1900 | 37.9% | +28.6% |
| 1905 | 46.4% | +22.2% |
| 1910 | 50.7% | +9.3% |
| 1915 | 56.9% | +12.1% |
| 1920 | 63.0% | +10.8% |
| 1925 | 69.2% | +9.8% |
| 1930 | 75.3% | +8.9% |
| 1935 | 81.5% | +8.2% |
| 1940 | 87.7% | +7.6% |
| 1945 | 93.8% | +7.0% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +6.6% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 95.0% | -5.0% |
| 1965 | 100.0% | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 79.0% | -21.0% |
| 1975 | 88.0% | +11.4% |
| 1980 | 83.0% | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 98.8% | +19.1% |
| 2002 | 98.8% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 98.9% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 98.9% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 98.7% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 98.7% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.4% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.4% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 98.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 98.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 98.0% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 98.4% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 98.3% | -0.2% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 98.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Finland's 98.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Finland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | +67.3% | 10.6% | 17.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1830s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 2 |
| 1840s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 2 |
| 1850s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.9% | 2 |
| 1860s | 6.6% | 6.0% | 7.3% | 2 |
| 1870s | 9.7% | 8.8% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 1880s | 21.2% | 17.6% | 24.8% | 2 |
| 1890s | 25.3% | 21.1% | 29.5% | 2 |
| 1900s | 42.2% | 37.9% | 46.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 53.8% | 50.7% | 56.9% | 2 |
| 1920s | 66.1% | 63.0% | 69.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 78.4% | 75.3% | 81.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 90.8% | 87.7% | 93.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 97.5% | 95.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 83.5% | 79.0% | 88.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 83.0% | 83.0% | 83.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.9% | 98.7% | 99.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 98.5% | 98.1% | 98.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.3% | 98.0% | 98.6% | 5 |
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 gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Finland?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Finland was 98.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1820.
- How does Finland rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Finland ranks 42nd out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Finland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.