Finland: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Finland's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 0.06 percentage points on 2016 (from 1.24% to 1.3%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2016), the average change was +0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.65 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.22 percentage points in 1997. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 29% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2017, Finland had the 51st highest value of the 65 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Finland in the 2017 ranking

• North Macedonia — 48th of 65: 1.48%
• Switzerland — 49th of 65: 1.39%
• Greece — 50th of 65: 1.34%
• United Kingdom — 52nd of 65: 1.11%
• Lithuania — 53rd of 65: 0.94%
• Poland — 54th of 65: 0.94%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 26 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Albania — 6.58% (2018)
• Armenia — 2.15% (2018)
• Austria — 13.47% (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 7.06% (2018)
• Belarus — 5.54% (2018)
• Belgium — 4.81% (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 3.85% (2018)
• Bulgaria — 1.57% (2017)
• Croatia — 0.86% (2017)
• Cyprus — 1.7% (2017)

More education data for Finland

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 360,117 (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 543,350 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.1 (2020)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 6.38% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Finland's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

1.3% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is up 0.32 percentage points from 0.98% in 1979. The highest value was 1.31% in 2006 and the lowest 0.31% in 1999.

How does Finland rank?

51st highest of 65 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) unusual for Finland?

In 2017, Finland's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 0.06 percentage points on 2016 (from 1.24% to 1.3%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2016), the average change was +0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.OENR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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