Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective, 2019
Highlights

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Chapter A: The output of educational institutions and the impact of learning

A1 Educational attainment of the adult population

• In Canada, the proportion of adults aged 25 to 64 with tertiary education (college/university completion) increased from 46% in 2005 to 58% in 2018, the highest rate among OECD countries. At the same time, the proportion of individuals with less than high school completion (“below upper secondary”) decreased, from 15% in 2005 to 8% in 2018. Similar changes were mirrored in the provinces and territories.
• In 2018, one-quarter (26%) of 25- to 64-year-olds in Canada had completed short cycle tertiary education, far greater than the average of 7% reported by the OECD.
• Canada’s average for completion of university education for 25- to 64-year-olds was 32%, similar to the OECD average. In Canada, university degree refers to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral and equivalent degrees. 
• At the post-secondary non-tertiary level, which captures the traditionally male-dominated areas of trades, the proportion of men (14%) was double that of women (7%). A larger proportion of women reported having college and university level of education, with the gap more marked at college (30% for women vs 22% for men) than university (35% for women vs 29% for men).
• Ninety-four percent of Canadian adults aged 25 to 34 had attained at least upper secondary education (a high school diploma) in 2018, compared with 87% for those aged 55 to 64, reflecting change in attainment patterns for high school completion over time. There were differences observed between provinces and territories in the proportion of adults aged 25 to 34 with at least a high school diploma; 2018 figures for all provinces and territories ranged from 54% to 96%.

A2 On-time and extended graduation rate

• In 2016/2017, over three quarters (80%) of students in Canada completed high school within the three year period after starting Grade 10 (“secondary 3”).
• In Canada, a larger proportion of females (84%) completed high school in the expected time than that of males (76%). The largest difference in the on-time high school graduation rate between males and females was found in Quebec with an 11 percentage point difference, followed by Ontario (7 percentage point difference).
• By providing students who began Grade 10 in 2012/2013 with an additional two years to complete their high school education, the graduation rate increased by 10 percentage points. The additional proportion of students that graduated after the two year extended period ranged from 2 percentage point difference in New Brunswick to a 12 percentage point difference in Ontario.
• Male students who benefited the most from the two additional years to complete their high school education were found in Ontario (13 percentage point difference) and Quebec (12 percentage point difference). Similarly, females who benefited the most from the two additional years were found in Ontario (10 percentage point difference) and Quebec (12 percentage point difference).

A3 International students

• In 2016/2017, the majority of international students in tertiary education in Canada were registered in Bachelor’s or equivalent level programs, and were from Asia. 
• Among G7 countries, Canada had a higher proportion of international students than Germany, Japan and the United States at all education levels.
• In 2016/2017, China (32%), India (15%) and France (8%) were the top three source countries for international students in tertiary education in Canada, with all being in the top five source countries at each level of tertiary education.

A4 Transitions to the labour market

• In 2019, the majority of young Canadians aged 15 to 19 (84%) were in school. For young adults, a higher proportion of adults aged 18 to 24 were in school (50%) in comparison to those who had transitioned to the labour market and were employed (38%). Among adults aged 20 to 24, the same proportions were observed between those in school and those who were employed (44%). For those in the 25- to 29-year-old age group, most (74%) were no longer in school and were employed.
• In 2019, 11% of women and men in the 15-to-29 age group were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Canada. At the Canadian average, a greater proportion of men (5%) than women (3%) were unemployed, whereas a larger proportion of women (8%) were not in the labour force compared to men (6%).
• From 2000 to 2019, there has been an increase in the proportion of 18- to 24-year olds in Canada that are in school (44% in 2000, 50% in 2019).
• In Canada in 2019, the proportion of 25- to 29-year olds who were not in education and were unemployed or not in the labour force (NEET) was highest for individuals with below upper secondary education (36%), lower for those with upper secondary and postsecondary non-tertiary education (19%), and lowest for those with tertiary education (10%).

A5 Labour market outcomes

• In Canada and other OECD countries, employment prospects increase with educational attainment. In 2018, Canada’s employment rate for adults aged 25 to 64 who had not completed upper secondary education (high school) was 56%, compared to 83% for those with a tertiary education.
• In Canada and for the OECD average, women had consistently lower employment rates than men. This gender gap in employment rates in Canada was largest (19 percentage points) among those with the least education and smallest (6 percentage points) among the men and women with bachelor’s or equivalent.  This was also true at the OECD average, with a larger gap between men and women at the below upper secondary level (21 percentage points) and a smaller gap at the Bachelor’s or equivalent (8 percentage points).
• In 2018, 87% of young adults aged 25 to 34 with non-tertiary post-secondary education were employed, compared to 83% in 2009. Employment rates for young adults with below upper secondary or upper secondary during the two periods were more similar.  The employment rate for tertiary-educated young adults was slightly higher in 2018 (86%) compared to 2009 (84%).
• In Canada, for 55-64-year-olds, the employment rate was higher in 2018 at every level of education than the rate observed in 2009 indicating that the older generation increasingly postponed retirement and continued working beyond age 55.

Chapter B: Financial resources invested in education

B1 Expenditure per student

• In 2016/2017, expenditure per student at the primary/secondary level was similar for Canada, other G7 countries and the OECD average.
• For the university level, at US$26,263, Canada’s figure was 57% higher than the OECD average of US$16,756, but was second highest in the G7 behind the United States.
• Similar to the OECD averages, in Canada and every province except Quebec and Manitoba, expenditure per student was lowest at the primary/secondary level, higher at the college level and highest at the university level. In Quebec, college expenditure per student was slightly lower than that of expenditure per student at the primary/secondary level, and in Manitoba primary/secondary and college levels were almost the same.

B2 Expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP

• With 6.2% of its GDP allocated to educational institutions in 2016/2017 (3.6% for primary and secondary education plus 2.6% for all postsecondary education), Canada devoted more than the 4.4% average estimated by the OECD average (3.2% and 1.2% respectively). Within the G7 countries, the range was from 3% to 5%.
• In all G7 countries, Canada included, and at the OECD average, the share of national wealth invested in education was larger for primary and secondary education than that for tertiary education in 2016/2017.

B3 Distribution of expenditure on education

• In 2016/2017, the rate of spending on current expenditure exceeded that on capital expenditure at all levels of education for Canada, provinces, territories and in all OECD countries. In Canada, current expenditure accounted for 92% of total expenditure at primary and secondary education levels; 95% for short cycle tertiary (college) and post-secondary non-tertiary level, and 93% for bachelor's, master's, doctoral or equivalent. At the postsecondary level, capital expenditure was 6% in Canada, compared with 10% for the OECD average.
• At all levels of education and in all provinces and territories, the compensation of staff (teaching and non-teaching) accounted for the largest proportion of current expenditure on education. In Canada, it represented on average 80% of current expenditure at the primary and secondary levels, and 66% at the short cycle tertiary (college) and postsecondary non-tertiary level, and 65% at the university level.
• At the primary and secondary levels, compensation of teachers accounted for the largest proportion of compensation of staff. In addition, other current expenditures (not related to compensation of teaching and non-teaching staff) were higher at the postsecondary level than at the primary and secondary levels.

Chapter C: The learning environment and organization of schools

C1 Instruction time

• In Canada, in 2018/2019, the total cumulative intended instruction time in formal classroom settings was 11,081 hours on average, between the ages of 6 and 17 (this includes the primary (ages 6 to 11), lower secondary (ages 12 to 14), and upper secondary (ages 15 to 17) levels of education).  By comparison, total intended instruction time for the OECD countries for which data were available was 8,836 hours.  This was 2,245 fewer hours than the average total intended instruction time in all public institutions in Canada during the 2018/2019 school year.
• Total cumulative intended instruction time for students aged 6 to 17 varied by province and territory, ranging from 9,900 hours in Quebec to 11,655 in Manitoba.

C2 Teachers' working time

• In Canada, primary school teachers taught an average of 797 hours per year in 2017/2018, compared with the OECD average of 783 hours. Figures varied by province and territory, ranging from 700 hours in New Brunswick to 905 hours in Alberta.
• Net annual teaching time was 744 hours at the lower secondary level (generally Grades 7 to 9) and 746 hours at the upper secondary level (generally Grades 10 to 12). These figures for Canada are higher than the averages for the OECD countries overall— 35 hours higher at the lower secondary level and 79 hours at the upper secondary level.
• Net teaching time in Finland was included as a comparison because of this country’s high ranking in international academic assessments.  Teachers in Finland at the primary (677) and lower secondary (592) levels had a lower net teaching time than all of the G7 countries, Canada included.
• On average in Canada, net teaching time represented about 62% of teachers’ total working time. It was similar for lower and upper secondary levels taught (60%), and higher at the primary level (65%). This ratio and the pattern across levels of education taught were similar to the OECD average.

C3 Teachers' salaries

• In 2017/2018, in Canada, salaries for full-time teachers in public elementary and secondary schools do not vary across levels of education – teachers are paid the same salaries regardless of whether they are teaching at the primary, lower or upper secondary level. By contrast, in many of the countries that recently reported to the OECD, teachers’ salaries tended to rise with the level of education taught.
• In lower secondary institutions, teachers at the top of their pay scales in Canada had the third highest average salaries (US$67,007) among the G7 group of countries after Germany (US$88,214) and the USA (US$69,586).  Within Canada, equivalent teachers in the Northwest Territories (US$83,491), Ontario (US$72,738), Alberta (US$70,223), Newfoundland and Labrador (US$68,828) and Manitoba (US$67,781) received higher salaries than the Canadian average.
• In more than half of the provinces and territories in Canada, teachers in public elementary and secondary schools reached their maximum salary after 10 years’ experience—much sooner than their counterparts in other OECD countries.

Chapter D: Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education

D1 Education for sustainable development

• More than half of Canadian 15-year-old students self-reported that they were aware or well aware of all seven environmental issues outlined in the PISA 2015 questionnaire. For three of the seven environmental issues (air pollution, extinction of plants and animals, the consequences of clearing forests for other land use), at least 8 out of 10 students self-reported being aware or well aware.
• There is a correlation between self-reported awareness of environmental issues and science proficiency levels. Higher proportions of Canadian students with a high (Level 5 or above) proficiency level in science self-reported awareness than was the case for students with a low proficiency level (Below level 2) for all seven environmental issues.
• Only one of every ten students in Canada believes that the extinction of plants and animals will improve over the next 20 years. Across OECD countries, this percentage is higher at almost 15%. In Quebec, this figure drops to 5%, and it is particularly lower for females at 3%.
• 55% of Canadian students very rarely follow news of science, environmental, or ecology organizations via blogs and microblogging, compared to an OECD average of 60%. Among provinces, this figure ranges from 53% in Alberta to 62% to Saskatchewan.

D2 Participation in secondary and postsecondary education

• The out of school rate for 15- to- 17-year-olds in Canada was 6% in 2017/2018, compared to 8% in 2005/2006.
• In 2016/2017, 40% of Canadians aged 18 to 24 participated in postsecondary studies at college or university.  Roughly two thirds of these youth attended university, while the other third attended college.
• At the national level and in every province and territory except New Brunswick, there is a gender disparity in terms of postsecondary participation in favour of young women.  In New Brunswick, the gender parity index is very close to one, indicating a slight disparity in favour of men.

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