Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Finland
Finland: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 98.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school 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
In 2024, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Finland stood at 98.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Finland peaked at 100.0% in 1925 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1820.
That places Finland 68th out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school 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% | +22.4% |
| 1850 | 4.0% | +22.3% |
| 1855 | 4.9% | +21.7% |
| 1860 | 6.0% | +21.9% |
| 1865 | 7.2% | +21.3% |
| 1870 | 8.7% | +21.1% |
| 1875 | 10.6% | +20.7% |
| 1880 | 16.0% | +52.0% |
| 1885 | 19.9% | +23.9% |
| 1890 | 25.4% | +28.0% |
| 1895 | 36.7% | +44.1% |
| 1900 | 46.6% | +27.1% |
| 1905 | 54.8% | +17.5% |
| 1910 | 64.9% | +18.5% |
| 1915 | 79.4% | +22.3% |
| 1920 | 94.8% | +19.4% |
| 1925 | 100.0% | +5.5% |
| 1930 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 97.0% | -3.0% |
| 1965 | 92.0% | -5.2% |
| 1970 | 100.0% | +8.7% |
| 1975 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 96.0% | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 98.9% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.0% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 98.8% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 98.8% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.4% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.4% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 98.2% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 97.8% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 98.1% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 98.6% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 98.0% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 98.4% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 98.2% | -0.2% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 98.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Finland's 98.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.6%, 100% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school 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 | +52.0% | 10.6% | 16.0% |
| 1895 | +44.1% | 25.4% | 36.7% |
| 1890 | +28.0% | 19.9% | 25.4% |
| 1900 | +27.1% | 36.7% | 46.6% |
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 | 4.4% | 4.0% | 4.9% | 2 |
| 1860s | 6.6% | 6.0% | 7.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 9.6% | 8.7% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 1880s | 18.0% | 16.0% | 19.9% | 2 |
| 1890s | 31.0% | 25.4% | 36.7% | 2 |
| 1900s | 50.7% | 46.6% | 54.8% | 2 |
| 1910s | 72.2% | 64.9% | 79.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 97.4% | 94.8% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 94.5% | 92.0% | 97.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 96.0% | 96.0% | 96.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.9% | 98.8% | 99.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 98.5% | 97.8% | 98.9% | 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 share of children in primary school age who are in school in Finland?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Finland was 98.2% 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 share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1925.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1820.
- How does Finland rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Finland ranks 68th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. 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 Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.