Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Canada
Canada: Theoretical duration of upper secondary education was 3 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
3 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
52nd
of 209 countries
All-time high
4 years
in 2004
All-time low
3 years
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2020
Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Canada, 1970–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Canada recorded 3 years for theoretical duration of upper secondary education in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Canada peaked at 4 years in 2004 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 1970.
That places Canada 52nd out of 209 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Canada, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3 years | — |
| 1971 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2005 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 years | -25.0% |
| 2013 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6 years | 3 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2 years | 3 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 52 Afghanistan 3 years compare
- 52 Albania 3 years compare
- 52 Algeria 3 years compare
- 52 Angola 3 years compare
- 52 Argentina 3 years compare
- 52 Armenia 3 years compare
- 52 Aruba 3 years compare
- 52 Azerbaijan 3 years compare
- 52 Bahamas 3 years compare
- 52 Bahrain 3 years compare
- 52 Benin 3 years compare
- 52 Brazil 3 years compare
- 52 Burkina Faso 3 years compare
- 52 Burundi 3 years compare
- 52 Cape Verde 3 years compare
- 52 Cambodia 3 years compare
- 52 Cameroon 3 years compare
- 52 Cayman Islands 3 years compare
- 52 Central African Republic 3 years compare
- 52 Chad 3 years compare
- 52 China 3 years compare
- 52 Comoros 3 years compare
- 52 Congo 3 years compare
- 52 Côte d'Ivoire 3 years compare
- 52 Cuba 3 years compare
- 52 Cyprus 3 years compare
- 52 Denmark 3 years compare
- 52 Djibouti 3 years compare
- 52 Ecuador 3 years compare
- 52 Egypt 3 years compare
- 52 El Salvador 3 years compare
- 52 Estonia 3 years compare
- 52 Fiji 3 years compare
- 52 Finland 3 years compare
- 52 France 3 years compare
- 52 French Polynesia 3 years compare
- 52 Gabon 3 years compare
- 52 Gambia 3 years compare
- 52 Georgia 3 years compare
- 52 Germany 3 years compare
- 52 Greece 3 years compare
- 52 Guinea 3 years compare
- 52 Guinea-Bissau 3 years compare
- 52 Hong Kong, China 3 years compare
- 52 Indonesia 3 years compare
- 52 Iraq 3 years compare
- 52 Israel 3 years compare
- 52 Japan 3 years compare
- 52 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 3 years compare
- 52 Republic of Korea 3 years compare
- 52 Kuwait 3 years compare
- 52 Lao People's Democratic Republic 3 years compare
- 52 Latvia 3 years compare
- 52 Lebanon 3 years compare
- 52 Liberia 3 years compare
- 52 Libya 3 years compare
- 52 Liechtenstein 3 years compare
- 52 Macau (China) 3 years compare
- 52 Madagascar 3 years compare
- 52 Malaysia 3 years compare
- 52 Mali 3 years compare
- 52 Mauritania 3 years compare
- 52 Mexico 3 years compare
- 52 Monaco 3 years compare
- 52 Mongolia 3 years compare
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- 52 Netherlands 3 years compare
- 52 New Caledonia 3 years compare
- 52 New Zealand 3 years compare
- 52 Niger 3 years compare
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- 52 Panama 3 years compare
- 52 Paraguay 3 years compare
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- 52 Portugal 3 years compare
- 52 Puerto Rico 3 years compare
- 52 Qatar 3 years compare
- 52 Rwanda 3 years compare
- 52 Sao Tome and Principe 3 years compare
- 52 Saudi Arabia 3 years compare
- 52 Senegal 3 years compare
- 52 Sint Maarten 3 years compare
- 52 South Africa 3 years compare
- 52 Spain 3 years compare
- 52 Sudan 3 years compare
- 52 Suriname 3 years compare
- 52 Sweden 3 years compare
- 52 Syrian Arab Republic 3 years compare
- 52 Thailand 3 years compare
- 52 Timor-Leste 3 years compare
- 52 Togo 3 years compare
- 52 Tuvalu 3 years compare
- 52 United Arab Emirates 3 years compare
- 52 United States of America 3 years compare
- 52 Uruguay 3 years compare
- 52 Uzbekistan 3 years compare
- 52 Vanuatu 3 years compare
- 52 Viet Nam 3 years compare
- 52 United States Virgin Islands 3 years compare
- 52 Palestine, State of 3 years compare
- 52 Yemen 3 years compare
- 52 Zambia 3 years 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 theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Canada?
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Canada was 3 years in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of upper secondary education recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 4 years in 2004.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of upper secondary education recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 1970.
- How does Canada rank for theoretical duration of upper secondary education?
- Canada ranks 52nd out of 209 countries with data for 2020.
- Is theoretical duration of upper secondary education rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. 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 Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of grades (years) in upper secondary education.