Educational attainment is the highest level of schooling a person has completed, recorded as a credential such as a high school diploma, a college diploma, or a bachelor's degree. In the 2021 Census of Population, 57.5 percent of Canadians aged 25 to 64 held a college or university credential, the largest share in the G7. The measure counts completed programs, not what a person can do, and a separate adult skills survey shows that the two do not always line up.
Key takeaways
- Statistics Canada counts the highest certificate, diploma, or degree a person has completed, usually for adults aged 25 to 64.
- In 2021, 32.9 percent of Canadians in that age group held a bachelor's degree or higher, fourth in the G7 behind the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan.
- In the 2022 adult skills survey, average literacy was 293 for bachelor's holders and 246 for adults with a high school diploma or less.
- Ten percent of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher still scored at the lowest literacy levels, so a credential is not a skills test.
What the attainment count includes
Attainment is a count of completed credentials, and the rules for counting are narrow. In its 2021 Census analysis, Statistics Canada reports the highest certificate, diploma, or degree a person has completed. Someone with a college diploma and a bachelor's degree appears once, at the bachelor's level. Someone who started a degree and left does not count at that level. The agency defines the working-age population as ages 25 to 64 and young adults as ages 25 to 34.
These rules explain why two published attainment figures can differ without either being wrong. A share that includes apprenticeship and trades credentials is larger than one limited to colleges and universities, and a figure for ages 25 to 34 differs from one for ages 25 to 64. A reader comparing numbers should first check the age band, the year, and the credential levels included.
Canada in 2021, next to the G7
The Statistics Canada release of November 30, 2022 compared Canada with the other G7 countries using the 2021 Census. Canada has led the group in college and university graduates since 2006, helped by a large college sector. It ranks lower on degrees: its bachelor's share is fourth, and its share with graduate degrees is below every other member.
| Measure, ages 25 to 64, 2021 | Canada | Comparison reported |
|---|---|---|
| College or university credential | 57.5 percent | First in the G7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.9 percent | United Kingdom 41.3, United States 39.5, Japan 34.2 percent |
| Graduate degree | 9.3 percent | Other G7 countries 13 to 15 percent |
| College certificate or diploma | Highest in the G7 | More than double the U.S. share of 10.8 percent |
Immigration shapes these figures. In 2021, immigrants and non-permanent residents made up 55.8 percent of Canadians with an earned doctorate and 39.1 percent of those with a bachelor's degree. The agency also noted that some foreign-educated workers hold qualifications their jobs do not use.
Credentials and skills measured separately
Attainment says a program was finished. It does not say what the graduate can read, calculate, or solve. The OECD's international adult skills survey, known as PIAAC, tests adults directly. Statistics Canada released the Canadian results for the 2022 cycle on December 10, 2024, and the release covers literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem solving on a scale of 0 to 500.
Canada scored 271 in literacy against an OECD average of 259, and 14 percent of Canadian adults reached the top two literacy levels, compared with 11 percent across participating OECD countries. Education and skills moved together: among adults aged 25 to 65, average literacy was 293 for a bachelor's degree or higher, 275 for postsecondary education below a bachelor's degree, and 246 for a high school diploma or less. The overlap is the point. Ten percent of degree holders scored at the lowest literacy levels, and six percent of adults with a high school education or less scored at the highest. Age and language also affect the results, according to the agency.
Why generative tools sharpen the question
Neither source measures how adults use AI tools, and neither claims to. The link below is an inference from the gap the skills survey already shows. If a credential records completed coursework, and coursework can now be drafted with software, a credential alone says less about unaided ability than it once might have. Direct testing of the kind PIAAC uses answers a different question from attainment, which is why education agencies track both.
The practical consequence for readers is modest. Attainment tables remain the standard way to describe how many people finished which level. They are a poor basis for statements about skills, workforce readiness, or the effect of any particular tool.
Checklist for reading an attainment figure
- Which ages does the figure cover, 25 to 34 or 25 to 64?
- Does it count trades and apprenticeship credentials, or only college and university?
- Is it the highest credential completed, or any credential held?
- Which year does it describe, and is it a census count or a survey estimate?
- In a country comparison, are the credential levels defined the same way in each country?
- Is the claim about completion, which attainment can show, or about skills, which it cannot?
FAQ
What is the difference between educational attainment and literacy?
Attainment records the highest credential completed. Literacy is a measured skill. The 2022 Canadian results show a strong average link between the two, along with individuals who sit far from the average in both directions.
Why is Canada first in the G7 for college and university credentials but fourth for bachelor's degrees?
The first measure includes college diplomas and certificates, where Canada leads. The second counts only bachelor's degrees and above, where the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan had higher shares in the 2021 comparison.
Does the census count unfinished degrees?
No. The count uses the highest certificate, diploma, or degree a person completed, so an unfinished degree does not raise the recorded level.
Are these figures current?
They are from the 2021 Census and the 2022 PIAAC cycle, the latest versions of those releases checked in October 2026. Later surveys may report different shares, and numbers from different years should not be mixed.
Related reading
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- AI activities for ESL students
- AI practice for spoken English
More in AI in education.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Canada leads the G7 for the most educated workforce, thanks to immigrants, young adults and a strong college sector, but is experiencing significant losses in apprenticeship certificate holders in key trades, The Daily, Statistics Canada, November 30, 2022
- Literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem-solving skills of Canadians: results from the 2022 PIAAC, The Daily, Statistics Canada, December 10, 2024