Share of the population with lower secondary education in Canada
Canada: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 96.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Canada, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with lower secondary education in Canada is 96.4%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Canada peaked at 96.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 60.2%, in 1970.
Canada ranks 19th of 135 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 60.2% | — |
| 1972 | 63.5% | +5.4% |
| 1976 | 67.5% | +6.3% |
| 1981 | 74.3% | +10.1% |
| 1986 | 78.9% | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 83.1% | +5.4% |
| 1991 | 83.6% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 84.5% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 85.4% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 85.1% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 85.6% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 86.1% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 86.8% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 87.5% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 87.9% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 88.4% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 89.2% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 89.6% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 90.4% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 90.8% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 91.1% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 91.6% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 92.0% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 92.5% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 92.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 93.1% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 93.5% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 93.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 93.9% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 94.3% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 94.8% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 95.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 95.1% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 95.5% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 95.9% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 96.1% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 96.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 96.4% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 63.7% | 60.2% | 67.5% | 3 |
| 1980s | 76.6% | 74.3% | 78.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 85.6% | 83.1% | 87.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 90.5% | 88.4% | 92.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.1% | 92.8% | 95.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.1% | 95.5% | 96.4% | 5 |
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 the population with lower secondary education in Canada?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Canada was 96.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 96.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.2% in 1970.
- How does Canada rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Canada ranks 19th out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.