Education indicators in Canada: An international perspective

View the most recent version.

In 2009, 92% of Canadian adults aged 25 to 34 had completed secondary school education compared with 80% of adults aged 55 to 64.

This gap of 12 percentage points was much narrower than the average for the 34 members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Within the OECD, 81% of adults aged 25 to 34 had a secondary education, compared with 61% of those aged 55 to 64.

Between 1999 and 2009, the proportion of adults aged 25 to 64 who had a college diploma or a university degree rose from 39% to 50% in Canada. In the OECD, this rate increased from 21% to 30%.

Employment prospects increase with educational attainment, as seen in Canada and other OECD countries. In 2009, Canada's employment rate for adults aged 25 to 64 who had not completed secondary education was 55%. The rate for graduates of college and university programs was 82%.

In addition, graduates from university programs earned more on average than did graduates of high school or trade/vocational programs. Based on 2008 data, earnings of university graduates were 70% higher in Canada and 63% higher in the OECD countries.

Canada devoted 6% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to educational institutions in 2007, about the same share as the OECD countries on average. About 42% of that share of GDP was allocated to college and university programs, the highest share among the OECD countries.

Expenditure per student varies by level of education. For Canada at the primary/secondary level, spending per student averaged $10,439.

At the university level, spending per student including research and development averaged $30,317 in Canada. When spending on research and development was excluded, the Canadian average was $19,362.

At the college and university level in Canada, 63% of current spending was devoted to compensation of all staff, of which 37% went to teaching staff.

For primary and secondary education, the compensation of staff accounted for the largest proportion (78%) of current expenditure in Canada in 2007. Teachers' compensation accounted for the largest share (62%), a situation mirrored in all other OECD countries.

(correction) In Canada and in all provinces and territories during the 2008/2009 school year, for all levels taught, the starting salary for teachers in public elementary and secondary schools (on average $43,000 or US$36,000) was consistently higher than the OECD average (which varies between US$30,000 and US$33,000 depending of the level taught).

Canada's teachers reached the top of their salary scales much sooner (12 years) than their OECD counterparts (24 years).

(correction) In 2009, the total compulsory instruction time received by students aged between 7 and 14 in formal classroom settings in Canada was 7,377 hours on average. This was nearly 900 more hours than the OECD average.

Note: This information is contained in Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective, 2011, the third in a series that place aspects of the educational systems in Canada's provinces and territories into an international context. The indicators were developed to align with definitions and methodologies used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The report was prepared by the Canadian Education Statistics Council, a joint venture of Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. It presents 13 indicators that capture information on educational attainment, graduation rates at the secondary and postsecondary levels, relationship between socio-economic background and academic achievement, labour market outcomes, expenditures per student, economic benefits of education, expenditures on education, international students, transitions to the labour market, and the learning environment and organization of schools.

The report Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective, 2011 (81-604-X, free), will soon be available.

For more information, or to enquire about concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-7608; fax: 613-951-1333; educationstats@statcan.gc.ca), Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division.