Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Canada
Canada: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 95.0% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Canada, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Canada recorded 95.0% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Canada peaked at 99.9% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 94.7%, in 2022.
Canada ranks 165th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 99.4% | — |
| 2004 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 98.6% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 99.8% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 99.5% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 98.6% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 99.6% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 99.1% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 98.6% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 99.5% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 99.4% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 99.5% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 99.9% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.5% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 97.2% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 96.9% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 95.2% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 94.7% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 95.0% | +0.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 95.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.8%, 95% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 99.3% | 98.6% | 99.8% | 7 |
| 2010s | 98.9% | 97.2% | 99.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.5% | 94.7% | 96.9% | 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Canada?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Canada was 95.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2015.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 94.7% in 2022.
- How does Canada rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Canada ranks 165th out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.