Finland
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Finland
Adult skills (Survey of Adult Skills, PIAAC, 2023)
| Country note | Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) | Survey of Adult Skills 2023: Do Adults Have the Skills They Need to Thrive in a Changing World? | The Survey of Adult Skills - Reader's Companion | Understanding Skill Gaps in Firms: Results of the PIAAC Employer Module | Survey of Adult Skills 2023 Data Analysis Manual |
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Participation in education
The percentage of four-year-olds in primary education in Finland is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 8/50 , 2024) Download Indicator
Graduation
The average age of first-time graduates from bachelor's or equivalent programmes in Finland is among the oldest. (27.9 Years, rank 2/30 , 2024) Download Indicator
The average age of master's or equivalent first-time graduates in Finland is among the oldest. (29.6 Years, rank 5/21 , 2024) Download Indicator
Graduation by gender
In Finland, the share of female first-time master's graduates is relatively small, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (52.8 %, rank 20/22 , 2024) Download Indicator
Graduation by field of education
In Finland, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of arts and humanities is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1 %, rank 6/45 , 2022) Download Indicator
In Finland, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of STEM is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3 %, rank 2/44 , 2022) Download Indicator
In Finland, the proportion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent graduates in the field of health and welfare is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (2 %, rank 2/45 , 2022) Download Indicator
Graduation by field of education and gender
In Finland, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in all fields is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (61.5 %, rank 7/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the field of education is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (86.7 %, rank 5/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of arts and humanities is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (74.2 %, rank 1/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of social sciences, journalism and information is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (76.7 %, rank 1/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of business, administration and law is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (60.4 %, rank 10/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (63.7 %, rank 3/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of information and communication technologies is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (29.1 %, rank 8/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in the fields of health and welfare is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (85.1 %, rank 2/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
Student mobility
(1 %, rank 8/46 , 2020) Download Indicator
Literacy
The mean literacy score is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (296 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of adults scoring high (at Level 2 or 3) in Iiteracy is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (34.8 %, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of adults scoring at or below level 1 in Iiteracy is low compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (12.4 %, rank 29/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Numeracy
The mean numeracy score is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (294 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of adults scoring high (at Level 2 or 3) in numeracy is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (30.9 %, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of adults scoring at or below level 1 in numeracy is low compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (12.2 %, rank 29/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Adaptive problem solving
The mean score in adaptive problem solving in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) is high compared to other participating countries. (276 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of adults scoring high (at Level 4) in adaptive problem solving in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) is high compared to other participating countries. (13.2 %, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of adults scoring low (at or below Level 1) in adaptive problem solving in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) is low compared to other participating countries. (14.1 %, rank 29/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Skills differences between age groups
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for 16-24 year-olds is high compared to other participating countries. (288 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for 55-65 year-olds is high compared to other participating countries. (254 PIAAC Score, rank 3/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score for young adults (16-24 year-olds) is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (302 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score for older adults (55-65 year-olds) is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (271 PIAAC Score, rank 2/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean numeracy score for young adults (16-24 year-olds) is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (296 PIAAC Score, rank 3/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Skills differences by gender
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for men is high compared to other participating countries. (278 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for women is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (275 PIAAC Score, rank 2/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score among men is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (293 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score among women is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (300 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean numeracy score among men is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (299 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean numeracy score among women is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (288 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Skills differences by level of education
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for adults with below upper secondary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (222 PIAAC Score, rank 7/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for adults with tertiary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (287 PIAAC Score, rank 2/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score for adults without upper secondary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (224 PIAAC Score, rank 5/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score for adults with tertiary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (313 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean numeracy score for adults without upper secondary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (228 PIAAC Score, rank 5/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean numeracy score for adults with tertiary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (312 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Skills by immigrant and language background
The mean literacy score for foreign-born adults of foreign-born parents is low compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (202 PIAAC Score, rank 26/30 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score for native-born adults of native-born parents is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (307 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean numeracy score for native-born adults of native-born parents is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (302 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for foreign-born adults of foreign-born parents is low compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (213 PIAAC Score, rank 23/30 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for native-born adults of native-born parents is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (283 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Skills by parents' educational attainment
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for adults whose parents did not attain upper secondary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (255 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean score in adaptive problem solving for adults with at least one parent who attained tertiary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (299 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score for adults whose parents had not attained upper secondary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (273 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean literacy score with at least one parent with tertiary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (323 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean numeracy score for adults whose parents had not attained upper secondary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (272 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The mean numeracy score with at least one parent with tertiary education is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (320 PIAAC Score, rank 1/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
Adults' skills
The percentage of adults scoring at or below level 1 in literacy and/or numeracy is low compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (9.8 %, rank 29/31 , 2023) Download Indicator
The change in mean literacy score in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) from 2012 to 2023 is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (15 PIAAC Score, rank 1/27 , 2023) Download Indicator
The change in mean numeracy score in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) from 2012 to 2023 is high compared to other countries participating in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). (17 PIAAC Score, rank 1/27 , 2023) Download Indicator
Who the teachers are
The share of women among teaching staff in bachelor's, master's, doctorate or equivalent education is one of the largest compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (53.2 %, rank 6/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of women among teaching staff in tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (53.2 %, rank 6/41 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of female teachers younger than 30 in tertiary education is relatively small . (45.5 %, rank 35/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
The percentage of female teachers aged 50 or more in tertiary education is especially high in Finland. (53.3 %, rank 4/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the share of upper secondary vocational education teachers aged 50 or more is relatively large, compared to the other countries with available data. (56 %, rank 2/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
The share of teachers under 30 in upper secondary vocational education is especially small in Finland. (2.4 %, rank 31/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the percentage of teachers aged between 30 and 49 in upper secondary vocational education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (41.6 %, rank 29/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
Teachers' salaries
The ratio of upper secondary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.91 Ratio, rank 4/19 , 2025) Download Indicator
Compared to 2015, the change in statutory salaries for primary education teachers with 15 years of experience and the most prevalent qualifications in Finland was relatively small. (95 Index, rank 27/33 , 2025) Download Indicator
Compared to 2015, the change in statutory salaries for lower secondary education teachers with 15 years of experience and the most prevalent qualifications in Finland was relatively small. (94 Index, rank 29/33 , 2025) Download Indicator
In Finland, average actual salaries for lower secondary teachers aged 25-64 rank among the highest across OECD and partner countries with available data. (72742 USD Equivalent, rank 10/34 , 2025) Download Indicator
In Finland, average actual salaries for upper secondary teachers aged 25-64 rank among the highest across OECD and partner countries with available data. (82300 USD Equivalent, rank 9/34 , 2025) Download Indicator
After 15 years of experience, a pre-primary teacher with typical qualification can expect to have one of the lowest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (46708 USD Equivalent, rank 27/35 , 2025) Download Indicator
The ratio of lower secondary female teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year women workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.05 Ratio, rank 7/26 , 2025) Download Indicator
The ratio of lower secondary male teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year men workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.82 Ratio, rank 8/26 , 2025) Download Indicator
The average actual salary of 25-64 year-old lower secondary female teachers is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (72364 USD Equivalent, rank 9/27 , 2025) Download Indicator
The average actual salary of 25-64 year-old lower secondary male teachers is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (73662 USD Equivalent, rank 7/27 , 2025) Download Indicator
The salaries of 25-34 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education are high in Finland. (0.97 Ratio, rank 8/26 , 2025) Download Indicator
The salaries of 35-44 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education are high in Finland. (0.9 Ratio, rank 8/26 , 2025) Download Indicator
The salaries of 45-54 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education are high in Finland. (0.91 Ratio, rank 6/26 , 2025) Download Indicator
The salaries of 55-64 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education are high in Finland. (0.93 Ratio, rank 6/26 , 2025) Download Indicator
In Finland, the average actual salaries of 55-64 year-old lower-secondary teachers is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (76662 USD Equivalent, rank 9/27 , 2025) Download Indicator
Finland had some of the lowest actual salaries for junior academic staff in bachelor's, master's and doctoral or equivalent programmes, in public institutions. (52128 USD Equivalent, rank 12/17 , 2023) Download Indicator
In Finland, the actual salaries of intermediate academic staff in public tertiary programmes were among the lowest. (64214 USD Equivalent, rank 12/16 , 2023) Download Indicator
Teachers' salaries progression
The salary progression from the start to the top of the salary scale for a lower secondary school teacher is among the smallest across OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.3 Ratio, rank 34/43 , 2025) Download Indicator
Salaries of pre-primary teachers with minimum qualifications at the top of the scale are especially low. (46708 USD Equivalent, rank 31/37 , 2025) Download Indicator
The ratio of pre-primary teachers' salaries at the top of the scale to their starting salary is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.1 Ratio, rank 36/37 , 2025) Download Indicator
In pre-primary education, the salary ratio of teachers with maximum qualifications at the top of the salary scale to those with minimum training and starting salaries is relatively low. (1.1 Ratio, rank 36/37 , 2025) Download Indicator
In lower secondary education, the salary ratio of teachers with maximum qualifications at the top of the salary scale to those with minimum training and starting salaries is comparatively low. (1.3 Ratio, rank 35/44 , 2025) Download Indicator
Principals' salaries
In Finland, actual salaries of lower secondary school heads aged 25-64 relative to earnings of full-time, full-year tertiary-educated workers are high . (1.2 Ratio, rank 5/16 , 2025) Download Indicator
Ratio of student to teaching staff
The number of pupils per teacher in pre-primary schools is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.5 Ratio, rank 36/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the lower secondary level is especially low. (9.2 Ratio, rank 33/39 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the upper secondary level is especially high. (17.4 Ratio, rank 7/42 , 2024) Download Indicator
The ratio of students to teaching staff at the vocational upper secondary level is especially high in Finland. (19.2 Ratio, rank 4/32 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the number of students per teacher in public lower secondary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (9.2 Ratio, rank 33/40 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the number of students per teacher in all private secondary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (19.3 Ratio, rank 4/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
Organisation of the education system
The total compulsory instruction time for lower secondary students in Finland is one of the shortest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (2451 Hours, rank 34/42 , 2024) Download Indicator
The total compulsory instruction time for primary and lower secondary student in Finland is among the shortest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6413 Hours, rank 35/42 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, compulsory instruction time for primary students, in hours per year, is one of the shortest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (660 Hours, rank 36/42 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, the intended instruction time for primary students, in hours per year, is one of the shortest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (693 Hours, rank 25/34 , 2024) Download Indicator
In Finland, compulsory instruction time for lower secondary students, in hours per year, is one of the shortest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (817 Hours, rank 33/42 , 2024) Download Indicator
Classes in lower secondary public institutions are comparatively small in Finland. (19 Students, rank 33/38 , 2024) Download Indicator
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General findings
- In the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills, literacy is defined as "accessing, understanding, evaluating, and reflecting on written texts in order to achieve one's goals, to develop one's knowledge and potential, and to participate in society" (Rouet et al., 2021). Proficiency in literacy is crucial for adults across their personal, social and professional spheres, given the prevalence of written communication in various aspects of life. Throughout the day, adults engage in a diverse range of reading activities, spanning from delving into extensive pieces of continuous text to swiftly scanning pages for pertinent information. Examples include reading emails, leaflets, timetables and instruction manuals.
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- In the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills, numeracy encompasses "accessing, using, and reasoning critically with mathematical content, information and ideas represented in multiple ways in order to engage in and manage the mathematical demands of a range of situations in adult life" (Tout et al., 2021). The skills and knowledge needed for work and civic participation, and in more personal spheres of life, have changed. Individuals are presented with ever-increasing amounts of information of a quantitative or mathematical nature through online or technology-based resources, which have to be located, selected or filtered, interpreted, and at times questioned and doubted, and analysed for their relevance to the responses needed.
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- The first cycle of the Survey of Adult Skills measured problem solving in technology-rich environments. This is defined as the ability to use digital technology, communication tools and networks to acquire and evaluate information, communicate with others and perform practical tasks. The survey assessed adults' ability to solve problems by establishing appropriate goals and plans, and accessing and using information through computers and computer networks.
In the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills, problem solving in technology-rich environments was replaced by adaptive problem solving (APS). This involves "the capacity to achieve one’s goals in a dynamic situation in which a method for solution is not immediately available. It requires engaging in cognitive and metacognitive processes to define the problem, search for information, and apply a solution in a variety of information environments and contexts" (Greiff et al., 2021).
APS has three important features. First, it emphasises individuals’ capacity to flexibly and dynamically adapt their problem-solving strategies to a dynamically changing environment. Second, it tests their ability to identify and select among a range of available physical, social and digital resources. Third, individuals need to monitor and reflect on their progress in solving problems, through metacognitive processes.
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Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple
most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities,
such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important
areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website
for each publication.
All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html
Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. However, OECD averages from Education at a Glance coming from the OECD database are the averages for the indicator reference year appearing in the Education GPS and may differ from averages in the book where averages can include data from multiple reference years, based on countries' data availability.
To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026 in the Northern Hemisphere.
*TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Sources Methodologies and Technical Notes of EAG 2025 for more details about the data collections.
For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.
All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html
Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. However, OECD averages from Education at a Glance coming from the OECD database are the averages for the indicator reference year appearing in the Education GPS and may differ from averages in the book where averages can include data from multiple reference years, based on countries' data availability.
To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026 in the Northern Hemisphere.
*TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Sources Methodologies and Technical Notes of EAG 2025 for more details about the data collections.
For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.