Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Finland
Finland: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 6.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
6.4%
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
15th
of 185 countries
All-time high
7.5%
in 1993
All-time low
4.5%
in 1974
Years of data
49
1970–2022
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Finland, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Finland stood at 6.4%.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Finland peaked at 7.5% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 1974.
That places Finland 15th out of 185 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Finland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.4% | — |
| 1971 | 5.3% | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 5.0% | -6.1% |
| 1973 | 5.1% | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 4.5% | -12.0% |
| 1975 | 5.0% | +12.3% |
| 1976 | 5.2% | +3.9% |
| 1979 | 4.8% | -8.3% |
| 1980 | 4.8% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 4.8% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 4.8% | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 4.9% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 4.7% | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 5.0% | +7.4% |
| 1986 | 5.1% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 5.2% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 5.1% | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 5.1% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 5.3% | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 6.3% | +18.7% |
| 1992 | 6.5% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 7.5% | +15.0% |
| 1994 | 6.9% | -8.4% |
| 1995 | 6.8% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 6.9% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 5.9% | -14.5% |
| 2000 | 5.7% | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 5.8% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 6.0% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 6.2% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 6.2% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 6.0% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 5.9% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 5.8% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | +10.8% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 7.1% | +10.9% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 7.1% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 7.0% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 6.9% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 6.4% | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 6.3% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 6.4% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 6.6% | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 6.5% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 6.4% | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.0% | 4.5% | 5.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 4.9% | 4.7% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 5.3% | 7.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 6.0% | 5.7% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 6.3% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.5% | 6.4% | 6.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Finland
- 12 Lesotho 7.3% compare
- 13 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 6.8% compare
- 14 Republic of Moldova 6.6% compare
- 16 Denmark 6.4% compare
- 17 Belgium 6.3% compare
- 18 Puerto Rico 6.1% compare
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 initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Finland?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Finland was 6.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 1993.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 1974.
- How does Finland rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Finland ranks 15th out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. 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 Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release