Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Canada
Canada: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 10 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
10
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
73rd
of 214 countries
All-time high
10
in 1998
All-time low
10
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Canada, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Canada stood at 10. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Canada peaked at 10 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 10, in 1998.
That places Canada 73rd out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 10 | — |
| 1999 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 10 | +0.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 10 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10, 1.0× the median. (76 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| 2000s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2020s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 73 Andorra 10 compare
- 73 Burkina Faso 10 compare
- 73 Central African Republic 10 compare
- 73 Switzerland 10 compare
- 73 Côte d'Ivoire 10 compare
- 73 Congo 10 compare
- 73 Cape Verde 10 compare
- 73 Djibouti 10 compare
- 73 Denmark 10 compare
- 73 Algeria 10 compare
- 73 Spain 10 compare
- 73 France 10 compare
- 73 Gabon 10 compare
- 73 Hungary 10 compare
- 73 Ireland 10 compare
- 73 Iceland 10 compare
- 73 Jordan 10 compare
- 73 Lebanon 10 compare
- 73 Saint Lucia 10 compare
- 73 Liechtenstein 10 compare
- 73 Lithuania 10 compare
- 73 Luxembourg 10 compare
- 73 Maldives 10 compare
- 73 Norway 10 compare
- 73 New Zealand 10 compare
- 73 Oman 10 compare
- 73 Palestine, State of 10 compare
- 73 Romania 10 compare
- 73 San Marino 10 compare
- 73 Slovakia 10 compare
- 73 Chad 10 compare
- 73 Togo 10 compare
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 number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Canada?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Canada was 10 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 10 in 1998.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 10 in 1998.
- How does Canada rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Canada ranks 73rd out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release