Share of population with no formal education in Canada
Canada: Share of population with no formal education was 0.4% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in Canada, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Canada recorded 0.4% for share of population with no formal education in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Canada peaked at 29.7% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2020.
That places Canada 97th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 29.7% | — |
| 1875 | 27.4% | -7.7% |
| 1880 | 24.9% | -9.1% |
| 1885 | 22.7% | -8.8% |
| 1890 | 20.9% | -7.9% |
| 1895 | 18.7% | -10.5% |
| 1900 | 15.8% | -15.5% |
| 1905 | 14.1% | -10.8% |
| 1910 | 13.4% | -5.0% |
| 1915 | 11.5% | -14.2% |
| 1920 | 9.1% | -20.9% |
| 1925 | 6.9% | -24.2% |
| 1930 | 5.3% | -23.2% |
| 1935 | 3.7% | -30.2% |
| 1940 | 2.9% | -21.6% |
| 1945 | 2.1% | -27.6% |
| 1950 | 1.6% | -23.8% |
| 1955 | 1.3% | -18.8% |
| 1960 | 1.0% | -23.1% |
| 1965 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.6% | -40.0% |
| 1975 | 0.9% | +50.0% |
| 1980 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | -40.0% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 28.5% | 27.4% | 29.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 23.8% | 22.7% | 24.9% | 2 |
| 1890s | 19.8% | 18.7% | 20.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 14.9% | 14.1% | 15.8% | 2 |
| 1910s | 12.4% | 11.5% | 13.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 8.0% | 6.9% | 9.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 4.5% | 3.7% | 5.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.39 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.0807 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 564,540 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.08 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.84 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 96,008 (2000)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 45,037 (2000)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.03 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 0.2105 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Canada?
- Share of population with no formal education in Canada was 0.4% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Canada ranks 97th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.