School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Canada
Canada: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 11.87 years in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
11.87 years
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
93rd
of 213 countries
All-time high
12.57 years
in 2015
All-time low
11.87 years
in 2023
Years of data
20
2000–2023
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Canada, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Canada stood at 11.87 years. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Canada peaked at 12.57 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 11.87 years, in 2023.
That places Canada 93rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Canada, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.08 years | — |
| 2005 | 11.93 years | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 12.01 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 12.05 years | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 12.05 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 12.16 years | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.1 years | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 12.08 years | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 12.54 years | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 12.55 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.55 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12.57 years | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 12.54 years | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 12.56 years | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 12.55 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 12.37 years | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 12.28 years | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 12.12 years | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 12.05 years | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 11.87 years | -1.5% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 11.87 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 12.4 years, 96% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.05 years | 11.93 years | 12.16 years | 6 |
| 2010s | 12.44 years | 12.08 years | 12.57 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.08 years | 11.87 years | 12.28 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 90 Austria 12.02 years compare
- 91 Latvia 11.98 years compare
- 92 Indonesia 11.89 years compare
- 94 Micronesia (country) 11.85 years compare
- 95 South Korea 11.83 years compare
- 96 East Timor 11.8 years compare
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 life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Canada?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Canada was 11.87 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 12.57 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.87 years in 2023.
- How does Canada rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Canada ranks 93rd out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. 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, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release