Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Canada
Canada: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 51.3 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
51.3
World rank
6th
of 111 countries
All-time high
52.2
in 2010
All-time low
0
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Canada, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Canada stood at 51.3.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Canada peaked at 52.2 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
That places Canada 6th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0.3 | — |
| 1895 | 0.4 | +33.3% |
| 1900 | 1.4 | +250.0% |
| 1905 | 2.4 | +71.4% |
| 1910 | 3.2 | +33.3% |
| 1915 | 4.2 | +31.2% |
| 1920 | 5 | +19.0% |
| 1925 | 5.9 | +18.0% |
| 1930 | 6.6 | +11.9% |
| 1935 | 7.6 | +15.2% |
| 1940 | 8.2 | +7.9% |
| 1945 | 8.8 | +7.3% |
| 1950 | 9.3 | +5.7% |
| 1955 | 11.7 | +25.8% |
| 1960 | 14 | +19.7% |
| 1965 | 14.7 | +5.0% |
| 1970 | 17.5 | +19.0% |
| 1975 | 22.7 | +29.7% |
| 1980 | 28 | +23.3% |
| 1985 | 21.4 | -23.6% |
| 1990 | 23.7 | +10.7% |
| 1995 | 26.8 | +13.1% |
| 2000 | 30.3 | +13.1% |
| 2005 | 48.5 | +60.1% |
| 2010 | 52.2 | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 51.5 | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 51.3 | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.35 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.9 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 2 |
| 1910s | 3.7 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 2 |
| 1920s | 5.45 | 5 | 5.9 | 2 |
| 1930s | 7.1 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 2 |
| 1940s | 8.5 | 8.2 | 8.8 | 2 |
| 1950s | 10.5 | 9.3 | 11.7 | 2 |
| 1960s | 14.35 | 14 | 14.7 | 2 |
| 1970s | 20.1 | 17.5 | 22.7 | 2 |
| 1980s | 24.7 | 21.4 | 28 | 2 |
| 1990s | 25.25 | 23.7 | 26.8 | 2 |
| 2000s | 39.4 | 30.3 | 48.5 | 2 |
| 2010s | 51.85 | 51.5 | 52.2 | 2 |
| 2020s | 51.3 | 51.3 | 51.3 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 3 Republic of Korea 58.3 compare
- 4 Taiwan, China 51.9 compare
- 5 Iceland 51.4 compare
- 7 Ireland 50.3 compare
- 8 Japan 47.2 compare
- 9 New Zealand 39.8 compare
More education data for Canada
- 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)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 95.01 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 95.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in Canada?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Canada was 51.3 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 52.2 in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does Canada rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Canada ranks 6th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).