Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Canada
Canada: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 6.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.9%
Change on year
down 7.7%
World rank
114th
of 175 countries
All-time high
8.8%
in 2021
All-time low
3.0%
in 2018
Years of data
6
2018–2023
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Canada, 2018–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Canada is 6.9%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and up 129.4% over ten years.
Canada ranks 114th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3.0% | — |
| 2019 | 4.0% | +34.1% |
| 2020 | 4.5% | +12.6% |
| 2021 | 8.8% | +94.6% |
| 2022 | 7.4% | -15.4% |
| 2023 | 6.9% | -7.7% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 6.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.7%, 1.5× the median. (68 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.0% | 4.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 4.5% | 8.8% | 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 out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Canada?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Canada was 6.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2018.
- How does Canada rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Canada ranks 114th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 129.4%. 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 one year before the official primary entry age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release