Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Canada
Canada: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 11.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Canada, 2008–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Canada is 11.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 5.5% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Canada peaked at 13.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 2020.
That places Canada 71st out of 123 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Canada, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 12.5% | — |
| 2009 | 12.6% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 12.6% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 12.7% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 12.9% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 13.0% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 13.0% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 12.7% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 12.9% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 12.7% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 10.0% | -21.3% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | +12.8% |
| 2022 | 11.9% | +5.8% |
| 2023 | 11.2% | -5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 12.8% | 12.6% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.1% | 10.0% | 11.9% | 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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Canada?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Canada was 11.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 13.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Canada ranks 71st out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release