Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Canada
Canada: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 6.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Canada, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Canada is 6.6%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 71.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Canada peaked at 6.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2018.
That places Canada 107th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4.0% | — |
| 2013 | 3.9% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 2.8% | -22.4% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | -11.7% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 4.9% | +107.3% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 6.0% | +14.3% |
| 2022 | 6.4% | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 6.6% | +3.2% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 6.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 1.9× the median. (68 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.5% | 2.4% | 4.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 104 Iceland 6.8% compare
- 105 Mongolia 6.7% compare
- 106 Cook Islands 6.7% compare
- 108 Vanuatu 6.6% compare
- 109 Costa Rica 6.6% compare
- 110 Cayman Islands 6.4% 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 out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Canada?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Canada was 6.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2018.
- How does Canada rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Canada ranks 107th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 71.6%. 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 Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release