Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in Canada
Canada: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) was 1.84 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in Canada, 1976–2023
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 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 1.08 million | — |
| 1986 | 1.64 million | +51.8% |
| 1989 | 1.73 million | +5.4% |
| 1990 | 1.84 million | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 1.92 million | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 1.94 million | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 1.75 million | -10.1% |
| 1994 | 1.78 million | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 1.78 million | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 1.76 million | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.19 million | -32.4% |
| 1999 | 1.22 million | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 1.21 million | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 1.25 million | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 1.42 million | +13.4% |
| 2008 | 1.45 million | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 1.45 million | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.43 million | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 1.48 million | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 1.51 million | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 1.56 million | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 1.58 million | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.56 million | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 1.59 million | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 1.63 million | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.62 million | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.72 million | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 1.77 million | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 1.80 million | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 1.81 million | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 1.84 million | +1.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 1.84 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 158,952, 11.6× the median. (76 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +51.8% | 1.08 million | 1.64 million |
| 1998 | -32.4% | 1.76 million | 1.19 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 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 200 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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CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release