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
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Canada, 2018–2023
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.
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3.2% | — |
| 2019 | 3.9% | +21.2% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +10.5% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | +101.0% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | -18.1% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | -4.7% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 6.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 1.4× the median. (70 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.2% | 3.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 6.6% | 4.3% | 8.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 133,275 (1996)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2011)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 291,075 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 273,465 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.70 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.43 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0607 units per person (2023)
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
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.