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Diagram of the education system

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  • Diagram of education system in country language


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    • Education system in Canada

    Canada
    Overview of the education system (EAG 2019)
  • In Canada, 62% of 25-34 year-olds held a tertiary qualification in 2018 compared to 44% on average across OECD countries. In Canada, as is the case on average across OECD countries with available data, less than half of full-time students finish their bachelor's degree within the theoretical duration of the programme.
  • The share of tertiary-educated women is higher than that of men in Canada, but their employment rate and their relative earnings are lower. This is similar to the patterns observed on average across OECD countries.
  • In Canada, as in other OECD countries, the share of female teachers decreases at higher levels of education. In 2017, 75% of Canadian primary to upper secondary teachers were female, falling to 49% at tertiary level.
  • Canada's tertiary education system is very attractive to international students. International students make up 13% of the overall tertiary student population despite paying higher tuition fees than national students.
    • | Education at a Glance 2019 | Country Note | Annexes from Education at a Glance 2019 | OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018 | OECD Education Policy Outlook: Canada | Council of Ministers of Education, Canada | Statistics Canada (English) | Statistics Canada (French) | Education in Canada's Provinces and Territories |
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    The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries. The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD and partner countries. Find out more about the methodology here.

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    Educational outcomes

    The proportion of 25-64 year-old women who have attained a vocational degree at the upper secondary or post-secondary level is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.7 %, rank 29/33 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The percentage of first-time graduates in vocational programmes at upper secondary level is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.2 %, rank 32/32 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The average age of upper secondary graduates from vocational programmes in Canada is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data (32.5 Years, rank 3/36 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The average age of upper secondary graduates from general programmes in Canada is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data (17.8 Years, rank 30/38 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Participation in education

    The proportion of 25-64 years-old adults with tertiary education participating in formal education is high in Canada. (17.8 %, rank 8/36 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Participation rate of 25-64 year-olds in job-related non-formal education sponsored by the employer is high in Canada, compared to other countries with available data. (77.8 %, rank 9/34 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Participation rate of 25-64 year-olds in job-related non-formal education not sponsored by the employer is low in Canada, compared to other countries with available data. (7.8 %, rank 26/34 , 2016) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate among 15-19 year-olds in Canada is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (77.6 %, rank 32/39 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The share of part-time students in doctoral programmes in Canada is relatively small. (5.8 %, rank 21/29 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Graduation expectancy

    The percentage of young people expected to graduate from vocational programmes in upper secondary education during their lifetimes in Canada is comparatively low (4.9 %, rank 34/34 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Graduation by gender

    In Canada, the share of female doctoral graduates in the field of business, administration and law is relatively high. (51.7 %, rank 8/41 , 2017) Download Indicator

    In Canada, the share of female doctoral graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is relatively low. (23.9 %, rank 37/42 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Graduation by field of education

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5.8 %, rank 39/44 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The share of doctoral graduates in the field of business, administration and law in Canada is relatively small. (4.4 %, rank 36/45 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Student mobility

    Canada has one of the largest proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in tertiary education among OECD and partner countries with available data. (12.9 %, rank 7/46 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Canada is one of the most attractive destinations to foreign students compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (3.9 %, rank 7/46 , 2017) Download Indicator

    In Canada, international students from North America are most represented among all international students, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (4.4 %, rank 8/45 , 2017) Download Indicator

    In Canada, international students from Asia are most represented among all international students, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (64.3 %, rank 9/45 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Student mobility by field of education

    The percentage of international tertiary students enrolled in the field of education in Canada is relatively low. (1.2 %, rank 35/37 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The percentage of international tertiary students enrolled in the field of business, administration and law in Canada is relatively high. (29.5 %, rank 10/36 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The percentage of international tertairy students enrolled in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics in Canada is relatively high. (12.3 %, rank 5/37 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The percentage of international tertiary students enrolled in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction in Canada is relatively high. (19.5 %, rank 10/37 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The percentage of international tertiary students enrolled in the field of health and welfare in Canada is relatively low. (4.9 %, rank 33/37 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The percentage of international tertiary students enrolled in the field of services in Canada is relatively low. (0.7 %, rank 32/37 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Organisation of the education system

    In Canada, the intended instruction time for primary students, in hours per year, is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (920 Hours, rank 10/29 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Expenditure per student

    Annual expenditure per tertiary student is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (23700 USD Equivalent, rank 5/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Annual expenditure per student from primary to tertiary level is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (13682 USD Equivalent, rank 6/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Annual expenditure per secondary student is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (13856 USD Equivalent, rank 4/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Annual expenditure per tertiary student is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (16907 USD Equivalent, rank 4/32 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Expenditure in education and national wealth

    In Canada, expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is one of the highest among OECD countries and partner economies. (5.9 %, rank 7/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In Canada, expenditure on secondary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively low. (1.5 %, rank 30/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In Canada, expenditure on tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively high. (2.3 %, rank 3/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In Canada, private expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary to tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (1.4 %, rank 8/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Public and private expenditure in education

    The share of private expenditure on tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (46.7 %, rank 9/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Canada has one of the largest shares of private expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (24.5 %, rank 10/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In Canada, total public expenditure on secondary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively low. (3.1 %, rank 37/38 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In Canada, international expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of total expenditure on tertiary education is relatively low. (0 %, rank 25/30 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Change in international expenditure on educational institutions for primary to tertiary education between 2010 and 2016 in Canada is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (-0.2 % points, rank 18/21 , 2016) Download Indicator

    The share of public expenditure on educational institutions, for tertiary education is comparatively small. (53.3 %, rank 27/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In Canada, the share of public expenditure on educational institutions, for primary to tertiary education is comparatively small. (75.5 %, rank 26/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Tuition fees

    The estimated average annual tuitions fees charged by public institutions, for foreign students in bachelor's or equivalent level in Canada is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (20406 USD Equivalent, rank 2/6 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The estimated average annual tuitions fees charged by public institutions, for foreign students in master's or equivalent level in Canada is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (13040 USD Equivalent, rank 3/5 , 2017) Download Indicator

    In Canada, the percentage of students who do not benefit from public/government-guaranteed private loans or public scholarships/grants is comparatively high. (29.3 %, rank 8/14 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Who the teachers are

    The share of women among teaching staff in tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (49.2 %, rank 7/36 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The percentage of upper secondary teachers older than 50 is especially low. (26.5 %, rank 31/34 , 2017) Download Indicator

    The percentage of primary to upper secondary teachers older than 50 is especially low. (26.5 %, rank 26/34 , 2017) Download Indicator

    Teachers' salaries

    After 15 years of experience, a lower secondary teacher with minimum qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (59219 USD Equivalent, rank 5/33 , 2018) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a lower secondary teacher with typical qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (67301 USD Equivalent, rank 4/33 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Teachers' salaries progression

    Salaries of lower secondary teachers with minimum training after 10 years of experience are especially high. (56772 USD Equivalent, rank 6/34 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Unemployment and educational attainment

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64, with below upper secondary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for less than 3 months is one of the largest in Canada, compared to other OECD countries. (55.1 %, rank 4/31 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with below upper secondary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for at least 12 months is one of the smallest in Canada, compared to other OECD countries. (10.3 %, rank 35/38 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for at least 12 months is one of the smallest in Canada, compared to other OECD countries. (11.5 %, rank 36/38 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with tertiary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for less than 3 months is one of the largest in Canada, compared to other OECD countries. (55.5 %, rank 3/31 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Among the unemployed population aged between 25 and 64 with tertiary education, the share of those who have been unemployed for at least 12 months is one of the smallest in Canada, compared to OECD countries. (11.2 %, rank 36/38 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Earnings and educational attainment

    The proportion of male full-time earners among all earners aged 35 to 44 without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (45.6 %, rank 24/29 , 2016) Download Indicator

    The proportion of male full-time earners among all earners aged 35 to 44 with upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (66.1 %, rank 24/29 , 2016) Download Indicator

    The proportion of male full-time earners among all earners aged 55 to 64 with upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (42 %, rank 23/28 , 2016) Download Indicator

    The proportion of male full-time earners among all earners aged 35 to 44 with tertiary education is comparatively low. (71.1 %, rank 28/29 , 2016) Download Indicator

    The proportion of male full-time earners among all earners aged 55 to 64 with tertiary education is comparatively low. (49.4 %, rank 26/29 , 2016) Download Indicator

    The earnings of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively high compared to those of adults with an upper secondary or a post-secondary non-tertiary education. (86 Index, rank 8/37 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (among 25-64 year-olds without an upper secondary education with income from employment) are one of the lowest among countries with available data. (70.9 %, rank 32/37 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (among 25-64 year-olds with upper secondary education and income from employment) are one of the lowest among countries with available data. (69.9 %, rank 34/37 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (25-64 year-olds with income from employment) are one of the lowest among countries with available data. (76.1 %, rank 31/37 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Migrant background

    The level of below upper secondary attainment among 25-64 year-old foreign-born adults is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (7.5 %, rank 28/30 , 2015) Download Indicator

    The percentage of foreign-born aged between 25 and 64 who attained upper secondary or post-secondary non tertiary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (25.7 %, rank 28/30 , 2015) Download Indicator

    The percentage of foreign-born aged between 15 and 29 who are neither employed nor in education and training is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (13.1 %, rank 20/29 , 2015) Download Indicator

    The percentage of foreign-born aged between 15 and 29 and who are not in education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (52.8 %, rank 25/30 , 2015) Download Indicator

    The percentage of foreign-born aged between 15 and 29 and who are in education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (43.3 %, rank 25/30 , 2015) Download Indicator

    Social outcomes

    Weekly working hours among employed 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary education are long in Canada compared to other OECD countries. (39.9 Hours/week, rank 9/28 , 2015) Download Indicator

    Among employed 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary education, a small share have high flexibility of working hours. (19.4 %, rank 20/28 , 2015) Download Indicator


    The data table will display up to six selected countries.
    General findings
    • In 2018, 44% of 25-34 year-olds held a tertiary degree, compared to 35% in 2008, on average across OECD countries.
    • Tertiary-educated adults also reap higher earnings, although this varies by field of study. Their advantage increases with age too: 25-34 year-olds with tertiary education earn 38% more than their peers with upper secondary education while 45-54 year-olds earn 70% more.
    • While engineering, manufacturing and construction, and information and communication technologies are two fields most commonly associated with the best labour market outcomes, only 14% of graduates earned a degree in the former and 4% earned a degree in the latter in 2017.
    | Education policies: Access and Participation - Tertiary | How is the tertiary-educated population evolving? | Earnings advantage of tertiary-educated workers across generations | Is labour market demand keeping pace with the rising educational attainment of the population? |
    Visualisations
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    • Although graduation from upper secondary education increased by 6 percentage points between 2005 and 2017, 15% of 25-34 year-olds did not attain upper secondary education in 2018, on average across OECD countries.
    • In some countries, vocational programmes are prominent at the upper secondary level. On average across OECD countries, 40% of first-time upper secondary graduates earned a vocational qualification in 2017; in Austria, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, more than 66% of this population did.
    • At the lower secondary level, the average class shrank by 6% while teachers' statutory salaries increased by 8% between 2005 and 2017, on average across OECD countries.
    | Education policies: Access and Participation - Secondary | Transition from school to work | 50 year trends in educational attainment | What are the advantages today of having an upper secondary qualification? |
    Visualisations
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    • In 2017, more than one in three children under the age of three were enrolled in early childhood education and care services, on average across OECD countries - an increase of 7 percentage points compared to 2010.
    • Between the age of 3 to 5, on average across OECD countries, 87% of children are enrolled in pre-primary and primary education.
    • Annual expenditure per child in early childhood development programmes was greater than in pre-primary education in 2016 on average across OECD countries. However, as a share of GDP, expenditure on early childhood development is lower.
    | Education policies: Access and Participation - Early Childhood Education | Starting Strong 2017: Key OECD Indicators on Early Childhood Education and Care | Starting Strong V: Transitions from Early Childhood Education and Care to Primary Education | Who bears the cost of early childhood education and how does it affect enrolment? | Access to early childhood and the participation of women in the labour market |
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    • In 2016, expenditure per tertiary student amounted to USD 15 556, approximately one-third of which was devoted to research and development.
    • Private sources financed more than 30% of the expenditure, on average, at the tertiary level compared to 10% at primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary level.
    • OECD countries spent an average of 3.5% of GDP on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary institutions in 2016, and public expenditure at this level increased by 18% since 2005.
    | Education policies: Finance and Funding | Who really bears the cost of education? | What influences spending on education? | Does Money Buy Strong Performance in PISA? |
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    • About 10% of primary and secondary teachers are under the age of 30, on average across OECD countries.
    • While the teaching profession is dominated by women, the share of female teachers decreases with the level of education taught: almost all teachers at the pre-primary level are women, however they make up less than half of the teaching force at tertiary level.
    • Salaries tend to increase with the level of education taught, but teachers' earnings remain between 78% and 93% of the earnings of other tertiary-educated adults.
    | Education policies: Teachers | OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) | Teachers' salaries evolution and how they compare to those of tertiary-educated workers | How do primary and secondary teachers compare? |
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    Key
    Country Reviews for Canada

    Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities, such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website for each publication.
    All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/

    *TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS average. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Annex 3 of EAG 2019 for more details about the data collections.

    B-S-J-Z (China) refers to the four PISA-participating provinces/municipalities of the People's Republic of China: Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

    For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.