Literacy rate in Canada
Canada: Literacy rate was 97.5% in 1950. ▲ Rising
Latest (1950)
97.5%
World rank
35th
of 128 countries
All-time high
97.5%
in 1950
All-time low
82.9%
in 1901
Years of data
5
1901–1950
Literacy rate in Canada, 1901–1950
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 1950, literacy rate in Canada stood at 97.5%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Canada peaked at 97.5% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 82.9%, in 1901.
That places Canada 35th out of 128 countries with data for 1950, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 82.9% | 82.9% | 82.9% | 1 |
| 1910s | 89.0% | 89.0% | 89.0% | 1 |
| 1920s | 94.3% | 94.3% | 94.3% | 1 |
| 1930s | 95.7% | 95.7% | 95.7% | 1 |
| 1950s | 97.5% | 97.5% | 97.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.0% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 95.0% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 141,045 (2000)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.34 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 95.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Canada?
- Literacy rate in Canada was 97.5% in 1950, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 97.5% in 1950.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.9% in 1901.
- How does Canada rank for literacy rate?
- Canada ranks 35th out of 128 countries with data for 1950.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.