Finland: School enrollment, secondary (% net)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Finland's school enrollment, secondary (% net) rose 0.17 percentage points on 2016 (from 95.93% to 96.1%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2016), the average change was +0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 4.02 percentage points in 1998 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.69 percentage points in 1999. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.2 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 36% 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.

How it compares

In 2017, Finland had the 8th highest value of the 43 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

• United Kingdom — 5th of 43: 97.13%
• Spain — 6th of 43: 96.88%
• New Zealand — 7th of 43: 96.86%
• Slovenia — 9th of 43: 95.69%
• Norway — 10th of 43: 95.61%
• Cyprus — 11th of 43: 95.34%

What this measures

Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Secondary education completes the provision of basic education that began at the primary level, and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development, by offering more subject- or skill-oriented instruction using more specialized teachers.

Limitations: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

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

All 28 values

School enrollment, secondary (% net) in nearby economies

• Austria — 87% (2017)
• Belgium — 94.95% (2017)
• Bulgaria — 89.06% (2017)
• Croatia — 92.39% (2017)
• Cyprus — 95.34% (2017)
• Denmark — 90.92% (2017)
• Estonia — 94.36% (2017)
• France — 94.67% (2017)
• Georgia — 95.95% (2018)
• Germany — 85.3% (2017)
• Greece — 93.35% (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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Finland's school enrollment, secondary (% net)?

96.1% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 25.68 percentage points from 70.42% in 1971. The highest value was 97.18% in 1998 and the lowest 70.42% in 1971.

How does Finland rank?

8th highest of 43 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, secondary (% net) unusual for Finland?

In 2017, Finland's school enrollment, secondary (% net) rose 0.17 percentage points on 2016 (from 95.93% to 96.1%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2016), the average change was +0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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.SEC.NENR, 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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