Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Canada
Canada: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary was 90.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Canada, 1986–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
Canada recorded 90.4% for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Canada peaked at 90.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 41.8%, in 1986.
Canada ranks 12th of 141 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Canada, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 41.8% | — |
| 1991 | 47.7% | +14.1% |
| 1997 | 71.0% | +48.8% |
| 1998 | 71.8% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 72.7% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 63.5% | -12.7% |
| 2004 | 77.8% | +22.6% |
| 2005 | 78.9% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 79.1% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 80.4% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 81.2% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 81.8% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 82.7% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 83.7% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 84.4% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 84.9% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 85.3% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 84.9% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 86.9% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 87.6% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 87.8% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 88.5% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 87.1% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 89.6% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 90.1% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 90.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 41.8% | 41.8% | 41.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 65.8% | 47.7% | 72.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 77.5% | 63.5% | 81.8% | 7 |
| 2010s | 85.1% | 82.7% | 87.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.1% | 87.1% | 90.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 141,045 (2000)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Canada?
- Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Canada was 90.4% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 90.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.8% in 1986.
- How does Canada rank for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
- Canada ranks 12th out of 141 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.