Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both in Canada
Canada: Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both was 49.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
49.3%
World rank
8th
of 129 countries
All-time high
59.8%
in 2014
All-time low
19.3%
in 1986
Years of data
15
1986–2021
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Canada, 1986–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Canada recorded 49.3% for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2021.
The figure is up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Canada peaked at 59.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 19.3%, in 1986.
That places Canada 8th out of 129 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 19.3% | — |
| 1991 | 21.5% | +11.3% |
| 1997 | 45.7% | +112.0% |
| 1998 | 46.4% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 47.2% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 47.6% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 40.3% | -15.3% |
| 2003 | 51.2% | +27.1% |
| 2004 | 51.9% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 43.9% | -15.4% |
| 2009 | 56.2% | +28.2% |
| 2011 | 47.7% | -15.2% |
| 2014 | 59.8% | +25.5% |
| 2016 | 49.7% | -17.0% |
| 2021 | 49.3% | -0.7% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 49.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 37.8%, 1.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.3% | 19.3% | 19.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 40.2% | 21.5% | 47.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 48.5% | 40.3% | 56.2% | 6 |
| 2010s | 52.4% | 47.7% | 59.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 49.3% | 49.3% | 49.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 5 Ireland 51.2% compare
- 6 United States 49.8% compare
- 7 South Korea 49.6% compare
- 9 United Kingdom 48.7% compare
- 10 Ukraine 47.8% compare
- 11 Australia 47.5% compare
More education data for Canada
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 95.11 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 95.01 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Canada?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Canada was 49.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 59.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.3% in 1986.
- How does Canada rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Canada ranks 8th out of 129 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. 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, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release