Canada: Children out of school, primary, female

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Canada's children out of school, primary, female fell 2.6% on 2022 (from 62,546 to 60,948).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2013 to 2022), the average change was +28% and a typical year strayed about 44.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below 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 101.3% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.6% in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 6,549 a year. A straight line explains 91% of the movement over 9 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Canada had the 10th highest value of the 30 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Canada in the 2023 ranking

• Russian Federation — 7th of 30: 78,377
• Sri Lanka — 8th of 30: 72,506
• Uzbekistan — 9th of 30: 61,295
• West Bank and Gaza — 11th of 30: 27,289
• Italy — 12th of 30: 26,661
• Nicaragua — 13th of 30: 25,719

What this measures

Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.

Limitations: Due to different data sources for enrollment and population data, the number may not capture the actual number of children not attending in primary school.

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

All 12 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)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Canada's children out of school, primary, female?

60,948 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 873.3% from 6,262 in 2000 (10.4% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 62,546 in 2022 and the lowest 3,168 in 2012.

How does Canada rank?

10th highest of 30 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in children out of school, primary, female unusual for Canada?

In 2023, Canada's children out of school, primary, female fell 2.6% on 2022 (from 62,546 to 60,948). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2013 to 2022), the average change was +28% and a typical year strayed about 44.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below 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.UNER.FE, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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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