Average years of schooling among adults in Canada
Canada: Average years of schooling among adults was 13.87 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Canada, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, average years of schooling among adults in Canada stood at 13.87 years. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Canada peaked at 13.87 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 10.75 years, in 1990.
That places Canada 5th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.53 years | 10.75 years | 12.31 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.07 years | 12.49 years | 13.46 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.67 years | 13.51 years | 13.81 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.86 years | 13.84 years | 13.87 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More education data for Canada
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (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)
- School enrollment, primary 95.0% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 141,045 (2000)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.34 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 95.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Canada?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Canada was 13.87 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 13.87 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.75 years in 1990.
- How does Canada rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Canada ranks 5th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.