Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective, 2020

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

Release date: December 14, 2020
Start of text box
Note

October 20, 2022: Since the original publication date, the methodology for calculating extended-time high school graduation rates has been updated. Please refer to table 37-10-0221 for the revised data.

End of text box

Foreword

The primary objectives of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP) are to develop and maintain a set of statistics that provide information about education and learning in Canada and to support evidence-based policy making. PCEIP has been doing this since publishing its first set of education indicators for Canada and its jurisdictions in 1996. In September 2009, a set of international indicators was introduced in the first edition of Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective. Each year, this PCEIP series presents indicators for Canada and its provinces/territories, placing them in a broader international context.

Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective was designed to expand upon the information for Canada that is provided to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for publication in Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators (EAG). The additional, internationally comparable data provided by Education Indicators in Canada complement EAG and support the mission of the Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC) to “create and commit to comprehensive and long-term strategies, plans, and programs to collect, analyze, and disseminate nationally and internationally policy-relevant and comparable statistical information.”

Twelve indicators are included in Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective. The first eleven present information on: educational attainment (Indicator A1); on-time and extended high school graduation rates (A2); international students (A3); transitions to the labour market (A4); labour market outcomes (A5); the financial resources invested in education (B1, B2 and B3); and the organization of learning environments at the elementary and secondary levels (C1, C2 and C3). The 12th indicator (D) adds a selection of current topics in education.

Highlights, short analytical texts with charts, and data tables are included for each indicator. The definitions, categories and methodologies used for this report have been aligned with those of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011) to allow standardized and comparable statistics, thus the figures in the report may differ somewhat from similar numbers produced by the provinces and territories themselves. This report’s Notes to readers section includes explanations and descriptions of the ISCED categories, and outlines how the Statistics Canada data were aligned with this international system.

Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective is published by the Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC) as part of its broader endeavour, the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP). The CESC is a partnership between the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) and Statistics Canada. The many individuals who have played important roles in producing and reviewing this report are listed in the Committees and organizations section.


Date modified: