School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Canada
Canada: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 2.64 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Canada, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, primary education, both sexes in Canada is 2.64 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Canada peaked at 2.64 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.19 million, in 2011.
That places Canada 57th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.47 million | — |
| 2001 | 2.48 million | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 2.47 million | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 2.45 million | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 2.40 million | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 2.35 million | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 2.31 million | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 2.27 million | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 2.23 million | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 2.20 million | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 2.19 million | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 2.19 million | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 2.19 million | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 2.22 million | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 2.26 million | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 2.31 million | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 2.35 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 2.40 million | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 2.44 million | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 2.48 million | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 2.51 million | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 2.51 million | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 2.52 million | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 2.56 million | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 2.61 million | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 2.64 million | +1.1% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 2.64 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 215,283, 12.3× the median. (80 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.36 million | 2.20 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.30 million | 2.19 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.56 million | 2.51 million | 2.64 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 school age population, primary education, both sexes in Canada?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Canada was 2.64 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 2.64 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.19 million in 2011.
- How does Canada rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Canada ranks 57th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.4%. 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 School age population, primary education, 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