Population having attained at least basic education in Canada
Canada: Population having attained at least basic education was 99.6 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
99.6
World rank
12th
of 111 countries
All-time high
99.6
in 2020
All-time low
70.3
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Population having attained at least basic education in Canada, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Canada recorded 99.6 for population having attained at least basic education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population having attained at least basic education in Canada peaked at 99.6 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 70.3, in 1870.
That places Canada 12th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Population having attained at least basic education in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 70.3 | — |
| 1875 | 72.6 | +3.3% |
| 1880 | 75.1 | +3.4% |
| 1885 | 77.3 | +2.9% |
| 1890 | 79.1 | +2.3% |
| 1895 | 81.3 | +2.8% |
| 1900 | 84.2 | +3.6% |
| 1905 | 85.9 | +2.0% |
| 1910 | 86.6 | +0.8% |
| 1915 | 88.5 | +2.2% |
| 1920 | 90.9 | +2.7% |
| 1925 | 93.1 | +2.4% |
| 1930 | 94.7 | +1.7% |
| 1935 | 96.3 | +1.7% |
| 1940 | 97.1 | +0.8% |
| 1945 | 97.9 | +0.8% |
| 1950 | 98.4 | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 98.7 | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 99 | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 99 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 99.4 | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 99.1 | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 99 | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 99.4 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 99.5 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 99.4 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 99.5 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 99.5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.6 | +0.1% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 99.6 is above the median for high income countries, which is 99, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 71.45 | 70.3 | 72.6 | 2 |
| 1880s | 76.2 | 75.1 | 77.3 | 2 |
| 1890s | 80.2 | 79.1 | 81.3 | 2 |
| 1900s | 85.05 | 84.2 | 85.9 | 2 |
| 1910s | 87.55 | 86.6 | 88.5 | 2 |
| 1920s | 92 | 90.9 | 93.1 | 2 |
| 1930s | 95.5 | 94.7 | 96.3 | 2 |
| 1940s | 97.5 | 97.1 | 97.9 | 2 |
| 1950s | 98.55 | 98.4 | 98.7 | 2 |
| 1960s | 99 | 99 | 99 | 2 |
| 1970s | 99.25 | 99.1 | 99.4 | 2 |
| 1980s | 99.2 | 99 | 99.4 | 2 |
| 1990s | 99.45 | 99.4 | 99.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 99.5 | 99.5 | 99.5 | 2 |
| 2010s | 99.5 | 99.5 | 99.5 | 2 |
| 2020s | 99.6 | 99.6 | 99.6 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 95.11 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 95.01 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population having attained at least basic education in Canada?
- Population having attained at least basic education in Canada was 99.6 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population having attained at least basic education recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 99.6 in 2020.
- What is the lowest population having attained at least basic education recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.3 in 1870.
- How does Canada rank for population having attained at least basic education?
- Canada ranks 12th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is population having attained at least basic education rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population having attained at least basic education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).