Canada: Adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children)

Key figures

Since 1982 it is up 3.86 percentage points from 96.09% in 1982. The World Bank has no value for 12 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2016, Canada's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) rose 0.37 percentage points on 2015 (from 99.59% to 99.96%).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2015), the average change was +0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.85 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.58 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.63 percentage points in 1993. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Canada in the 2016 ranking

• Fiji — 2nd of 9: 99.44%
• Liechtenstein — 3rd of 9: 99.31%
• Dominica — 4th of 9: 97.98%

What this measures

Adjusted net enrollment is the number of pupils of the school-age group for primary education, enrolled either in primary or secondary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group.

Limitations: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 23 values

More education data for Canada

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.43 million (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 2.7 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.99 (2020)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.84% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

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Questions people ask

What is Canada's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children)?

99.96% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1982?

It is up 3.86 percentage points from 96.09% in 1982. The highest value was 99.96% in 2016 and the lowest 94.76% in 1995.

Is the latest change in adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) unusual for Canada?

In 2016, Canada's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) rose 0.37 percentage points on 2015 (from 99.59% to 99.96%). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2015), the average change was +0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.85 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TENR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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