Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Canada
Canada: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Canada, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Canada is 4.8%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 15.6% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Canada peaked at 7.7% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2021.
Canada ranks 58th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 7.7% | — |
| 1972 | 7.6% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 7.0% | -7.6% |
| 1974 | 6.7% | -4.9% |
| 1975 | 6.4% | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 6.7% | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 6.7% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 7.1% | +5.4% |
| 1979 | 6.7% | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 6.5% | -3.4% |
| 1981 | 6.4% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 6.5% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 6.9% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 6.6% | -3.5% |
| 1985 | 6.2% | -6.5% |
| 1986 | 6.0% | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 6.3% | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 6.2% | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 6.1% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 6.0% | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 6.9% | +14.9% |
| 1992 | 6.7% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 7.7% | +13.8% |
| 1994 | 6.7% | -13.3% |
| 1995 | 6.3% | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 5.5% | -12.9% |
| 1999 | 5.5% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | -10.6% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4.5% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 4.4% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +15.9% |
| 2010 | 5.1% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 4.9% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 4.4% | -10.8% |
| 2014 | 4.6% | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 4.7% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 5.1% | +10.4% |
| 2021 | 4.2% | -17.7% |
| 2022 | 4.8% | +15.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.0% | 6.4% | 7.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 6.0% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 5.5% | 7.7% | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 4.4% | 5.1% | 7 |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 4.4% | 5.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.2% | 5.1% | 3 |
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 initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Canada?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Canada was 4.8% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 1971.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 2021.
- How does Canada rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Canada ranks 58th out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. 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 Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release