Finland vs Netherlands: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP

Finland
1.7%
in 2017
Netherlands
1.6%
in 2017
Finland rank
12th
Netherlands rank
15th

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP over time

  • Finland
  • Netherlands
0.511.52197019932017

How they compare

Finland currently reports 1.7% against 1.6% in Netherlands, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Netherlands ahead.

Finland ranks 12th and Netherlands ranks 15th of 160 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Finland averaged higher in 2 and Netherlands in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Finland Netherlands Difference Ahead
1970s 0.7% 1.7% 1.0% Netherlands
1980s 1.0% 1.7% 0.6% Netherlands
1990s 1.8% 1.5% 0.3% Finland
2010s 1.8% 1.6% 0.1% Finland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp, Finland or Netherlands?
Finland, at 1.7% against 1.6% in Netherlands as of 2017.
What is the difference in government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp between Finland and Netherlands?
0.1%, with Finland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and Netherlands?
26 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2017.
How do Finland and Netherlands rank globally for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Finland ranks 12th and Netherlands ranks 15th of 160 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Finland vs Netherlands: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/finland/netherlands/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
160 places, 3,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/