Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Canada

Canada: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 6.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
6.7%
Change on year
down 4.7%
World rank
110th
of 179 countries
All-time high
8.6%
in 2021
All-time low
3.2%
in 2018
Years of data
6
2018–2023

Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Canada, 2018–2023

024682018202020232018: 3.2 %2019: 3.9 %2020: 4.3 %2021: 8.6 %2022: 7 %2023: 6.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Canada recorded 6.7% for share of children who are not in pre-primary school in 2023.

The figure is down 4.7% on the previous year and up 110.4% over ten years.

That places Canada 110th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 3.5% 3.2% 3.9% 2
2020s 6.6% 4.3% 8.6% 4

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 107 Indonesia 7.1% compare
  2. 108 Slovakia 7.0% compare
  3. 109 Brazil 6.9% compare
  4. 111 Dominican Republic 6.5% compare
  5. 113 Czechia 6.4% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More education data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Canada?
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Canada was 6.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 2021.
What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2018.
How does Canada rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
Canada ranks 110th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 110.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,923 data points, 1998–2025
Last refreshed

Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.