Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Finland

Finland: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP was 20.2% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
20.2%
Change on year
down 5.5%
World rank
31st
of 122 countries
All-time high
21.8%
in 2015
All-time low
16.3%
in 2000
Years of data
19
1999–2017

Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Finland, 1999–2017

051015201999200820171999: 16.82000: 16.32001: 16.72002: 17.22003: 17.72004: 17.72005: 17.22006: 17.32007: 16.72008: 17.72009: 19.42010: 202011: 20.12012: 20.52013: 20.62014: 212015: 21.82016: 21.42017: 20.2

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Finland is 20.2%, measured in 2017.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.5% on the previous year and up 20.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Finland peaked at 21.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2000.

That places Finland 31st out of 122 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Finland, year by year

Annual values for Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita in Finland, 1999 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1999 16.8%
2000 16.3% -3.1%
2001 16.7% +2.5%
2002 17.2% +2.9%
2003 17.7% +2.9%
2004 17.7% +0.4%
2005 17.2% -3.2%
2006 17.3% +0.7%
2007 16.7% -3.2%
2008 17.7% +5.4%
2009 19.4% +10.1%
2010 20.0% +2.9%
2011 20.1% +0.5%
2012 20.5% +1.8%
2013 20.6% +0.7%
2014 21.0% +1.8%
2015 21.8% +4.1%
2016 21.4% -2.2%
2017 20.2% -5.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 16.8% 16.8% 16.8% 1
2000s 17.4% 16.3% 19.4% 10
2010s 20.7% 20.0% 21.8% 8

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 28 Bulgaria 20.8% compare
  2. 29 Italy 20.6% compare
  3. 30 Brazil 20.4% compare
  4. 32 United States of America 20.2% compare
  5. 33 Barbados 20.2% compare
  6. 34 New Zealand 19.8% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Finland?
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Finland was 20.2% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in Finland?
The highest recorded value was 21.8% in 2015.
What is the lowest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2000.
How does Finland rank for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
Finland ranks 31st out of 122 countries with data for 2017.
Is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.5%. 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, published as part of Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Finland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-primary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/finland/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 1,518 data points, 1995–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central, current and capital) initial government funding of education per student, which includes transfers paid (such as scholarships to students), but excludes transfers received, in this case international transfers to government for education (when foreign donors provide education sector budget support or other support integrated in the government budget). Calculation Method: Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure (current and capital) on a given level of education (primary, secondary, etc) minus international transfers to government for education, divided by the number of student enrolled at that level of education. This is then expressed as a share of GDP per capita. Limitations: In some instances data on total government 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. There are also cases where it may not be possible to separate international transfers to government from general government expenditure on education, in which cases they have not been subtracted in the formula. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/