Canada vs United States: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or
Canada
89.3%
in 2024
United States
91.1%
in 2024
Canada rank
12th
United States rank
11th
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 91.1% against 89.3% in Canada, a difference of 1.8%.
Across all 29 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 12th and United States ranks 11th of 140 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.5% | 90.2% | 17.7% | United States |
| 2000s | 78.3% | 88.4% | 10.1% | United States |
| 2010s | 84.7% | 88.6% | 4.0% | United States |
| 2020s | 88.1% | 90.8% | 2.6% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or, Canada or United States?
- United States, at 91.1% against 89.3% in Canada as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or between Canada and United States?
- 1.8%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2024.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- Canada ranks 12th and United States ranks 11th of 140 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release