Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Canada
Canada: Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private was 7.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Canada, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Canada stood at 7.8%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Canada peaked at 7.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1974.
That places Canada 169th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.6% | — |
| 1972 | 2.4% | -10.8% |
| 1973 | 2.3% | -3.9% |
| 1974 | 2.0% | -11.6% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | +28.0% |
| 1976 | 2.5% | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | +4.2% |
| 1978 | 2.5% | -4.4% |
| 1979 | 2.5% | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | +9.8% |
| 1982 | 3.3% | +18.3% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | +8.0% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | -7.2% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 3.5% | +5.6% |
| 1987 | 3.7% | +5.6% |
| 1988 | 3.9% | +6.1% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 4.1% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 4.2% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 4.0% | -4.6% |
| 1993 | 4.5% | +12.8% |
| 1994 | 4.5% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 4.7% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7.3% | +57.2% |
| 2020 | 7.4% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 7.1% | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 7.6% | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | +2.9% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 7.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 30.6%, 25% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +57.2% | 4.7% | 7.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.4% | 2.5% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.4% | 4.0% | 4.7% | 7 |
| 2010s | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 1 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 7.1% | 7.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 166 Guadeloupe 9.7% compare
- 167 Micronesia, Federated States of 9.6% compare
- 168 French Guiana 8.7% compare
- 170 Romania 7.6% compare
- 171 Sao Tome and Principe 7.3% compare
- 172 Réunion 7.3% 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 percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Canada?
- Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Canada was 7.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1974.
- How does Canada rank for percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private?
- Canada ranks 169th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release