School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Canada
Canada: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes was 8.66 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Canada, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Canada is 8.66 years, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Canada peaked at 9.11 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 7.87 years, in 2005.
That places Canada 122nd out of 200 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Canada, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.93 years | — |
| 2004 | 7.95 years | -10.9% |
| 2005 | 7.87 years | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 7.97 years | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 7.96 years | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 7.93 years | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 7.99 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 7.95 years | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 7.91 years | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 9.01 years | +13.8% |
| 2013 | 8.99 years | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 8.99 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9.01 years | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 9.11 years | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 9.11 years | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 9.11 years | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 8.97 years | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 8.95 years | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 8.8 years | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 8.78 years | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 8.66 years | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.09 years | 7.87 years | 8.93 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 8.82 years | 7.91 years | 9.11 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.8 years | 8.66 years | 8.95 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 141,045 (2000)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Canada?
- School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Canada was 8.66 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 9.11 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.87 years in 2005.
- How does Canada rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
- Canada ranks 122nd out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. 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 life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release