Primary education, pupils in Canada
Canada: Primary education, pupils was 2.43 million in 2023. ▼ Falling
Primary education, pupils in Canada, 1971–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2023, primary education, pupils in Canada stood at 2.43 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Canada peaked at 2.85 million in 1971 and was at its lowest, 2.15 million, in 2011.
Canada ranks 61st of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.53 million | 2.24 million | 2.85 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 2.26 million | 2.18 million | 2.32 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.40 million | 2.35 million | 2.45 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.30 million | 2.19 million | 2.46 million | 7 |
| 2010s | 2.28 million | 2.15 million | 2.41 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.41 million | 2.39 million | 2.43 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 95.0% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 141,045 (2000)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.34 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 95.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Canada?
- Primary education, pupils in Canada was 2.43 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 2.85 million in 1971.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.15 million in 2011.
- How does Canada rank for primary education, pupils?
- Canada ranks 61st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.