Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Finland
Finland: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 6.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Finland, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Finland stood at 6.4%.
That represents a change of down 3.2% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Finland peaked at 7.5% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 1974.
That places Finland 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
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 | 6.8% | 6.3% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.5% | 6.4% | 6.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More reference data data for Finland
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0042 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.28 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.28 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.28 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.948 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 2.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 91.75 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 89.29 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.85 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 80.12 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Finland?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Finland was 6.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 1993.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 1974.
- How does Finland rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Finland ranks 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.