Education and Research
Finland in Figures is an information package about Finland and Finns.
On this page
- Population aged 15 or over by level of education
- Population by level of education
- Students and qualifications attained
- Employment of graduates one year after graduation
- Research and development expenditure
Population aged 15 or over by level of education
Source: Statistics Finland, Educational structure of population
Updated: 18.1.2023
Population by level of education
| 2020 | % | 2021 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population aged 15 or over | 4 672 932 | 100 | 4 696 447 | 100 |
| Population with educational qualification, total | 3 468 701 | 74,2 | 3 501 982 | 74,6 |
| Upper secondary education | 1 896 509 | 40,6 | 1 901 480 | 40,5 |
| Post-secondary non-tertiary education | 46 650 | 1,0 | 49 296 | 1,0 |
| Lowest level tertiary education | 421 043 | 9,0 | 415 486 | 8,8 |
| Lower tertiary level | 571 913 | 12,2 | 586 783 | 12,5 |
| Higher tertiary level | 481 753 | 10,3 | 497 080 | 10,6 |
| Doctorate level | 50 833 | 1,1 | 51 857 | 1,1 |
| Only basic education | 1 204 231 | 25,8 | 1 194 465 | 25,4 |
Source: Statistics Finland, educational structure of population
Updated: 8.12.2022
Students and qualifications attained
| Sector of education | Students 1) | Qualifications attained | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | |
| Pre-primary education | 58 292 | 62 762 | - | - |
| Comprehensive education | 561 667 | 557 866 | 60 309 | 60 633 |
| General upper secondary education | 106 759 | 109 538 | 29 905 | 30 452 |
| Vocational education | 320 469 | 341 696 | 65 073 | 68 637 |
| University of applied sciences education |
148 795 | 156 059 | 28 735 | 29 081 |
| University education | 156 577 | 159 545 | 35 818 | 31 320 |
| Total | 1 352 559 | 1 387 466 | 219 840 | 220 123 |
1) Students in education leading to qualifications. The data for vocational education relate to a calendar year. The data for other educational sectors describe the situation on 20 September.
Corrected on 5th May 2023
Source: Statistics Finland, students and qualifications
Updated: 9.12.2022
Employment of graduates one year after graduation, 2021
Source: Statistics Finland, transition from school to further education and work
Updated: 24.1.2023
Research and development expenditure
Main topic: Education and Research
More statistical figures in the StatFin database
Finland in Figures only includes the key figures on Finland and Finns. You can find more figures on various sectors of society in the easy-to-use StatFin database.
The database also provides regional data, such as the population of municipalities.
Last updated 1 Jun 2023