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 Chart 9 Postsecondary educational attainment by Aboriginal identity, population aged 25 to 54, 2006

Aboriginal people are more likely to have trades and college certificates

The 2006 Census showed that Aboriginal adults between 25 and 54 were more likely to have a trades certificate than a university degree. Métis were the most likely to do so, with 16% having a trades certificate, compared to 13% of both Inuit and First Nations people and 12% of non-Aboriginal people. The proportion of Métis and non-Aboriginal people with a college certificate was 22%, compared to 18% for First Nations people and Inuit. The largest difference was for those with university certificates at the bachelor's level and above. One-quarter of non-Aboriginal adults had a university degree, compared to 9% of Métis, 7% of First Nations people and 4% of Inuit.

In 2006, one-third (33%) of Aboriginal adults aged 25 to 54 had less than a high school education compared to nearly 13% of the non-Aboriginal population, a difference of 20 percentage points.

Related data:

Topic-based tabulations: Aboriginal education characteristics

The census special interest tables have data for Aboriginal people by identity, ancestry, registered Indian status and Inuit regions.

2006 Aboriginal Population Profile

2006 Profile of Aboriginal Children, Youth and Adults

Related articles:

2006 Census: Educational Portrait of Canada, 2006 Census: Aboriginal population

This report provides information on the education profile of the Canadian population, including the fact that 42,900 Aboriginal people (8%) had a university degree in 2006.

Education Matters: Insights on Education, Learning and Training in Canada

'Literacy profile of off-reserve First Nations and Métis people living in urban Manitoba and Saskatchewan: Results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, 2003' (catalogue no. 81-004). Vol. 4, no. 5. January 2008.

'First Nations Women and Postsecondary Education in Canada: Snapshots from the Census' (catalogue no.81-004-x). Vol. 6, no. 4. October 2009.

'Aboriginal peoples in Canada's urban area – Narrowing the education gap'

Research by Statistics Canada researchers provides information on the demographic structure of the Aboriginal population living in eleven large cities and on trends in the educational attainment of that population, including the fact that shares of Aboriginal youth acquiring higher levels of schooling in selected census metropolitan areas (CMAs) increased between 1981 and 2001.

'Educational achievements of young Aboriginal adults'

This report focusing on educational levels of young Aboriginal adults includes such observations as the fact that the proportion of college and university graduates doubled between 1986 and 1996.

Aboriginal Population Profiles for Selected Cities and Communities

This product is a series of profiles for a number of census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and communities across Canada with a large Aboriginal population, either in numbers or share of the area's total population. The series aims to present a demographic and socio-economic profile of the total Aboriginal population living in these areas. Demographic Data as well as information on living arrangements of children, education, labour, income, mobility, housing, and health are highlighted. While most of the focus is on adults, there is also limited information provided on children. Data showing comparisons between Aboriginal groups are provided for selected variables, as are comparisons with the non-Aboriginal population. Findings are based on the 2006 Census and the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.

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