Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes (number) (upper) in Canada
Canada: Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes (number) (upper) was 1.41 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in Canada, 1981–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Canada recorded 1.41 million for enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in Canada peaked at 1.83 million in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1.15 million, in 1981.
Canada ranks 31st of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes (number) (upper) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1.15 million | — |
| 1993 | 1.20 million | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 1.23 million | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 1.23 million | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 1.24 million | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 1.36 million | +9.2% |
| 1999 | 1.29 million | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 1.31 million | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.76 million | +34.2% |
| 2006 | 1.79 million | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 1.82 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 1.82 million | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.83 million | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.81 million | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 1.81 million | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.55 million | -14.0% |
| 2013 | 1.53 million | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 1.50 million | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 1.49 million | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 1.42 million | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 1.42 million | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 1.41 million | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 1.41 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.40 million | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 1.39 million | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 1.39 million | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 1.41 million | +1.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 1.41 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 149,272, 9.5× the median. (73 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes (number) (upper) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +34.2% | 1.31 million | 1.76 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.15 million | 1.15 million | 1.15 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.26 million | 1.20 million | 1.36 million | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.72 million | 1.31 million | 1.83 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.54 million | 1.41 million | 1.81 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.40 million | 1.39 million | 1.41 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 upper secondary education, both sexes in Canada?
- Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in Canada was 1.41 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 1.83 million in 2009.
- What is the lowest enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.15 million in 1981.
- How does Canada rank for enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes?
- Canada ranks 31st out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. 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 upper secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release