Canada vs United States: Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling
Canada
13.87 years
in 2023
United States
13.91 years
in 2023
Canada rank
5th
United States rank
3rd
Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 13.91 years against 13.87 years in Canada, a difference of 0.04 years.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United States ahead.
Canada ranks 5th and United States ranks 3rd of 192 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 3 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.53 years | 13.07 years | 1.54 years | United States |
| 2000s | 13.07 years | 12.91 years | 0.1534 years | Canada |
| 2010s | 13.67 years | 13.28 years | 0.3937 years | Canada |
| 2020s | 13.86 years | 13.77 years | 0.0941 years | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling, Canada or United States?
- United States, at 13.91 years against 13.87 years in Canada as of 2023.
- What is the difference in average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling between Canada and United States?
- 0.04 years, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling?
- Canada ranks 5th and United States ranks 3rd of 192 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.