Finland: Primary education, teachers

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Finland's primary education, teachers rose 1.7% on 2023 (from 30,308 to 30,824).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2023), the average change was +0.8% and a typical year strayed about 3.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 11.9% in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.5% in 1978. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 473.12 a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 31,057 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1,309, against 2,120 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Finland had the 59th highest value of the 108 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 2024 ranking

• Austria — 56th of 108: 35,752
• Oman — 57th of 108: 34,743
• Georgia — 58th of 108: 32,424
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 60th of 108: 28,284
• New Zealand — 61st of 108: 26,597
• Mauritania — 62nd of 108: 24,560

What this measures

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 43 values

Primary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Albania — 9,336 (2024)
• Andorra — 413 (2024)
• Armenia — 7,540 (2024)
• Austria — 35,752 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 38,731 (2024)
• Belarus — 22,228 (2024)
• Belgium — 80,763 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 9,722 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 22,710 (2024)
• Croatia — 13,441 (2023)
• Cyprus — 5,389 (2023)
• Denmark

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Finland's primary education, teachers?

30,824 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 77.56% from 17,360 in 1971 (1.09% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 30,824 in 2024 and the lowest 17,360 in 1971.

How does Finland rank?

59th highest of 108 economies with data for 2024.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TCHR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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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