Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Finland
Finland: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 50.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Finland, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Finland recorded 50.0% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Finland peaked at 89.7% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 50.0%, in 2024.
Finland ranks 124th of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Finland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 88.9% | — |
| 1999 | 88.5% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 89.2% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 85.0% | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 89.7% | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 89.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 89.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 89.6% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 89.5% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 89.4% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 89.3% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 83.7% | -6.3% |
| 2010 | 81.2% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 74.4% | -8.4% |
| 2012 | 74.2% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 72.2% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 70.8% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 60.4% | -14.7% |
| 2016 | 53.3% | -11.7% |
| 2017 | 52.7% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 52.5% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 52.5% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 52.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 51.8% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 51.0% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 50.4% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 50.0% | -0.8% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 50.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 62% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Finland's 50.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 82.7%, 60% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 88.7% | 88.5% | 88.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 88.4% | 83.7% | 89.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.4% | 52.5% | 81.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.2% | 50.0% | 52.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Finland
- 121 Indonesia 51.8% compare
- 122 Aruba 51.0% compare
- 123 Côte d'Ivoire 50.7% compare
- 125 Philippines 48.5% compare
- 126 Oman 48.2% compare
- 127 Kazakhstan 46.2% 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Finland?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Finland was 50.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 89.7% in 2002.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.0% in 2024.
- How does Finland rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Finland ranks 124th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.4%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release