Finland — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Finland, 1970–2022.
Education spending for Finland was 6.38% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 49 years, from 1970 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 7.50% in 1993. The lowest was 4.48% in 1974 (about 1.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.32% per year.
Finland ranks 19 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 11%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 4.59%, so Finland sits above it. It peaked in 1993 and has fallen 15% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved down 11%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 5 of 45 economies; Denmark (6.36%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 19% in 1991. That is 6% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 7th of 31 in 1970 → 25th of 63 in 1980 → 7th of 50 in 1990 → 21st of 116 in 2000 → 16th of 130 in 2010 → 16th of 157 in 2020 → 13th of 150 in 2022.
Key figures
Full history — 1970 to 2022
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6.38% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 6.59% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 6.68% | +0.2 pp |
| 2019 | 6.45% | +0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 6.32% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 6.41% | -0.5 pp |
| 2016 | 6.91% | -0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 7.07% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 7.14% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 7.15% | -0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 7.17% | +0.7 pp |
| 2011 | 6.46% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 6.5% | +0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 6.46% | +0.6 pp |
| 2008 | 5.83% | +0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 5.67% | -0.3 pp |
| 2006 | 5.93% | -0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 6.03% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 6.16% | -0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 6.17% | +0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 6.02% | +0.2 pp |
| 2001 | 5.84% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 5.71% | -0.2 pp |
| 1999 | 5.87% | -1.0 pp |
| 1996 | 6.87% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 6.82% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 6.86% | -0.6 pp |
| 1993 | 7.5% | +1.0 pp |
| 1992 | 6.52% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 6.34% | +1.0 pp |
| 1990 | 5.34% | +0.3 pp |
| 1989 | 5.07% | +0.0 pp |
| 1988 | 5.07% | -0.1 pp |
| 1987 | 5.2% | +0.1 pp |
| 1986 | 5.1% | +0.1 pp |
| 1985 | 5.05% | +0.3 pp |
| 1984 | 4.7% | -0.2 pp |
| 1983 | 4.86% | +0.1 pp |
| 1982 | 4.78% | -0.1 pp |
| 1981 | 4.83% | +0.0 pp |
| 1980 | 4.83% | +0.0 pp |
| 1979 | 4.8% | -0.4 pp |
| 1976 | 5.23% | +0.2 pp |
| 1975 | 5.03% | +0.6 pp |
| 1974 | 4.48% | -0.6 pp |
| 1973 | 5.09% | +0.1 pp |
| 1972 | 5.01% | -0.3 pp |
| 1971 | 5.33% | -0.1 pp |
| 1970 | 5.41% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Finland’s Education spending in 1971?
5.33% (1971). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Finland’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1970 and 2022 the series was growing overall: +17.8% in total — about 0.3% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2022: 6.38%; 2021: 6.59%; 2020: 6.68%; 2019: 6.45%; 2018: 6.32%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.