Finland tops the InterNations 2017 Education Index once again and ranks as the top country worldwide when it comes to educating expat kids. Over 26% of the expats who responded to the Expat Insider 2017 survey have dependent children and they were asked to rate education across a number of categories including cost, availability and the quality of education available in their host country.
How does education in Finland compare to the rest of the world?
Finland scores an A
Over 90% of expats in Finland are satisfied with the quality of their children’s education – and the children love it too for its short school days, little homework and no exam policy! Finland ranked first in all categories, except cost, where it came a close second, and was one of the few non-Asian countries to get into the top 5 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) rankings which are based on tests taken by 15-year olds across 70 different countries.
Need to work harder
In the PISA rankings, Greece was placed bottom of the list across three of the four rankings, ranking 41st for reading and 43rd for science and maths. Expats in Greece agree the quality of education is not up to standard and the country came in bottom at 45th place on the Expat Insider Survey 2017 when it came to quality of education and availability of childcare and education. Others in the bottom 3, with regard to quality of education are Brazil and Indonesia who slipped from 40th position in 2016 to 43rd in 2017 as a result of a third of expats being dissatisfied with the quality of education and over half rating the education as unaffordable.
Performance stars
Countries that are doing a great job when it comes to balancing quality and cost are Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark, followed by France. Denmark has put in a lot of effort as it didn’t crack the top 10 in 2016 – but now proudly takes fourth place. Hong Kong is another top performer with over 76% of expats happy with quality of education and Hong Kong rating amongst the top 10 for every subject in the PISA ranking. However, unlike the other countries that score highly when it comes to quality, expats in Hong Kong are not satisfied with the cost of education – but this could be because the private, fee-paying International School is the preferred medium of education.
State schools are the most popular
When it comes to popularity, state schools are the preferred option for expat parents, with over a third choosing this form of schooling for their children – particularly in the UK where state education is of a high standard. As mentioned the International School is popular in Hong Kong and Thailand and also in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar.
Popular expat educational preferences
- Local state schools…33%
- International School…32%
- Local Private School…21%
- Post secondary education e.g. college or university…9%
If you’re thinking of moving abroad with your family, contact FinGlobal for more information about how to make the move and unlock your wealth in your new home.