Share of the population with at least some formal education in Finland
Finland: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 99.6% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Finland, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Finland recorded 99.6% for share of the population with at least some formal education in 2020.
The figure is down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Finland peaked at 99.9% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 1870.
That places Finland 12th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Finland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 3.7% | — |
| 1875 | 4.5% | +21.6% |
| 1880 | 5.4% | +20.0% |
| 1885 | 6.7% | +24.1% |
| 1890 | 8.7% | +29.9% |
| 1895 | 11.1% | +27.6% |
| 1900 | 36.3% | +227.0% |
| 1905 | 48.2% | +32.8% |
| 1910 | 51.2% | +6.2% |
| 1915 | 61.1% | +19.3% |
| 1920 | 71.5% | +17.0% |
| 1925 | 82.0% | +14.7% |
| 1930 | 90.2% | +10.0% |
| 1935 | 96.3% | +6.8% |
| 1940 | 97.2% | +0.9% |
| 1945 | 97.9% | +0.7% |
| 1950 | 98.5% | +0.6% |
| 1955 | 99.1% | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 99.5% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 99.3% | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 98.9% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 98.8% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 99.0% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 99.2% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 99.9% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 99.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.6% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 99.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Finland's 99.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.0%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some formal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | +227.0% | 11.1% | 36.3% |
| 1905 | +32.8% | 36.3% | 48.2% |
| 1890 | +29.9% | 6.7% | 8.7% |
| 1895 | +27.6% | 8.7% | 11.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 2 |
| 1880s | 6.1% | 5.4% | 6.7% | 2 |
| 1890s | 9.9% | 8.7% | 11.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 42.2% | 36.3% | 48.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 56.2% | 51.2% | 61.1% | 2 |
| 1920s | 76.8% | 71.5% | 82.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 93.2% | 90.2% | 96.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 97.6% | 97.2% | 97.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 98.8% | 98.5% | 99.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 99.4% | 99.3% | 99.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 98.8% | 98.8% | 98.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 99.1% | 99.0% | 99.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 99.8% | 99.7% | 99.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 99.7% | 99.6% | 99.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 99.6% | 99.6% | 99.6% | 1 |
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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Finland?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Finland was 99.6% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 1870.
- How does Finland rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Finland ranks 12th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Finland data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.