Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Canada

Canada: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 1.84 million in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
1.84 million
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
28th
of 197 countries
All-time high
1.94 million
in 1992
All-time low
1.08 million
in 1976
Years of data
31
1976–2023

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Canada, 1976–2023

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1976199920231976: 1.1M1986: 1.6M1989: 1.7M1990: 1.8M1991: 1.9M1992: 1.9M1993: 1.7M1994: 1.8M1995: 1.8M1996: 1.8M1998: 1.2M1999: 1.2M2000: 1.2M2002: 1.3M2007: 1.4M2008: 1.4M2009: 1.4M2010: 1.4M2011: 1.5M2012: 1.5M2013: 1.6M2014: 1.6M2015: 1.6M2016: 1.6M2017: 1.6M2018: 1.6M2019: 1.7M2020: 1.8M2021: 1.8M2022: 1.8M2023: 1.8M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2023, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Canada stood at 1.84 million.

That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 18.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Canada peaked at 1.94 million in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1.08 million, in 1976.

Canada ranks 28th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.08 million 1.08 million 1.08 million 1
1980s 1.68 million 1.64 million 1.73 million 2
1990s 1.69 million 1.19 million 1.94 million 9
2000s 1.36 million 1.21 million 1.45 million 5
2010s 1.57 million 1.43 million 1.72 million 10
2020s 1.81 million 1.77 million 1.84 million 4

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 25 Venezuela 2.12 million compare
  2. 26 Saudi Arabia 2.01 million compare
  3. 27 Peru 1.90 million compare
  4. 29 Australia 1.83 million compare
  5. 30 Algeria 1.66 million compare
  6. 31 Ukraine 1.58 million compare

See the full ranking of 421 places β†’

More education data for Canada

All data for Canada β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Canada?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Canada was 1.84 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 1.94 million in 1992.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 1.08 million in 1976.
How does Canada rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
Canada ranks 28th out of 197 countries with data for 2023.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. 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 Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
421 places, 18,321 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release