Canada: Secondary education, general pupils

Key figures

Over five years it is down 3.58% from 2.62 million in 2012 (0.73% a year on average, compounded). Since 1971 it is down 0.1% from 2.53 million in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 15 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Canada's secondary education, general pupils rose 0.3% on 2016 (from 2.52 million to 2.52 million).

Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was −0.2% and a typical year strayed about 1.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 2.8% in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.5% in 1980. 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

In 2017, Canada had the 17th highest value of the 69 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 2017 ranking

• Italy — 14th of 69: 3.04 million
• Korea, Rep. — 15th of 69: 2.78 million
• Spain — 16th of 69: 2.71 million
• Venezuela, RB — 18th of 69: 2.26 million
• Sudan — 19th of 69: 2.18 million
• Poland — 20th of 69: 1.72 million

What this measures

Secondary general pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in general education programs, including teacher training.

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

All 32 values

Secondary education, general pupils in nearby economies

• Bermuda — 4,040 (2015)

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

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Questions people ask

What is Canada's secondary education, general pupils?

2.52 million in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 0.1% from 2.53 million in 1971. The highest value was 2.62 million in 2012 and the lowest 2.24 million in 1987.

How does Canada rank?

17th highest of 69 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in secondary education, general pupils unusual for Canada?

In 2017, Canada's secondary education, general pupils rose 0.3% on 2016 (from 2.52 million to 2.52 million). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was −0.2% and a typical year strayed about 1.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.SEC.ENRL.GC, 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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