Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Canada
Canada: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 4.45 million in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
4.45 million
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
54th
of 197 countries
All-time high
4.45 million
in 2025
All-time low
3.78 million
in 2012
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Canada, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Canada recorded 4.45 million for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Canada peaked at 4.45 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.78 million, in 2012.
That places Canada 54th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.11 million | — |
| 2001 | 4.12 million | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 4.13 million | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 4.14 million | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 4.13 million | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 4.10 million | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 4.05 million | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 3.99 million | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 3.93 million | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 3.89 million | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 3.85 million | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 3.81 million | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 3.78 million | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 3.78 million | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3.81 million | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 3.85 million | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 3.90 million | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 3.95 million | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 4.00 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 4.07 million | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 4.14 million | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 4.17 million | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 4.22 million | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 4.30 million | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 4.39 million | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 4.45 million | +1.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 4.45 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 607,680, 7.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.06 million | 3.89 million | 4.14 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.88 million | 3.78 million | 4.07 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.28 million | 4.14 million | 4.45 million | 6 |
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 population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Canada?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Canada was 4.45 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 4.45 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.78 million in 2012.
- How does Canada rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Canada ranks 54th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release