Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Canada
Canada: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 3.6% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Canada, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Canada is 3.6%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.7% on the previous year and up 840.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Canada peaked at 3.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2012.
That places Canada 100th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 0.2% | — |
| 2013 | 0.4% | +67.9% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +275.2% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | -9.2% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -14.7% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | +78.3% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | +51.2% |
| 2022 | 3.4% | +9.6% |
| 2023 | 3.6% | +7.7% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 3.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 1.6× the median. (64 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.2% | 1.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.0% | 3.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 97 Cook Islands 4.0%
- 98 Uzbekistan 3.8% compare
- 99 Hong Kong, China 3.7% compare
- 101 Cayman Islands 3.5% compare
- 102 Vanuatu 3.5% compare
- 103 Armenia 3.4% 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Canada?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Canada was 3.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2012.
- How does Canada rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Canada ranks 100th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 840.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release