The Canadian Education Market

This piece outlines some good reasons why you should consider Canada in your international student recruitment strategy.

If you're interested in recruiting Canadian students, we encourage you to read on. And if you'd like to tap into our database of over 1.4 million students, including 22,000+ who are interested in studying outside Canada, please let us know. We can help you reach the Canadian market through our fairs or our digital recruitment solutions.

Canada's Population is Growing Quickly

Canada's population has grown by 9.5% since 2020, adding 3.6m people to reach 41.5m in early 2025.

Canada's grown 13.1% since 2014 -- explosive, compared to USA at 5.1% and United Kingdom at 5.8% over the same period

Of the 13 provinces and territories in Canada, the province of Ontario has the largest population, with 39% of the total. It is followed by Quebec (where both French and English are spoken), British Columbia, and Alberta.

Canadian population, as of June 2025

wdt_ID Provinces and territories Population %
1 Newfoundland and Labrador 545,899 1
2 Prince Edward Island 179,187 0
3 Nova Scotia 1,082,351 3
4 New Brunswick 862,465 2
5 Quebec 9,123,432 22
6 Ontario 16,245,157 39
7 Manitoba 1,509,897 4
8 Saskatchewan 1,253,836 3
9 Alberta 5,009,940 12
10 British Columbia 5,733,357 14
11 Yukon 47,284 0
12 Northwest Territories 45,105 0
13 Nunavut 41,962 0

In 2024, 42% of the Canadian population was between 0 and 34 years old. 12% of the population are between 15 and 24 years old; up 4% from the previous year. Canada's population is young!

Canadians Value Education

Canada ranks second behind Korea with 67% of the population between the ages of 25-34 years old having a tertiary education.

wdt_ID Rank Country %
1 1 Korea 69.6
2 2 Canada 67.0
3 3 Japan 65.7
4 4 Ireland 63.3
5 5 Luxembourg 60.0

Canadian Higher Education

There were over 2.2 million students studying at the tertiary level in Canada in 2022-23. The fastest growing segments over the past 5 years were Doctoral studies at 15%, followed by Master's studies at 11%.

wdt_ID International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2022 / 2023 Pace of change from 18/19 to 22/23
1 Total International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2,211,345 3
2 Upper secondary education 21,078 -27
3 Post-secondary non-tertiary education 237,003 -6
4 Short-cycle tertiary education 441,714 10
5 Bachelor's or equivalent 1,100,325 4
6 Master's or equivalent 231,930 11
7 Doctoral or equivalent 63,027 15
8 Not applicable, International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 116,271 -24

There are over 400 publicly funded colleges and universities in Canada. There are many more privately funded colleges. Education is governed by provincial and territorial governments, and is supported by provincial and federal scholarships, grants, and loans.

Colleges predominantly offer 2 to 3-year diploma programs, though many are beginning to offer 4-year degree programs as well. and universities predominantly offer Bachelor, Master's, and Doctoral programs. You'll find a Canadian education system explainer here, or see the graphics below for details.

Fields of Study Breakdown

Across all levels of tertiary education, the fastest growing programs since 2011 are in computer science, healthcare, mathematics, and engineering. Since 2022, we've seen a big jump in pre-technology/pre-industrial programs, too. The largest segments overall, by number of enrolled students, are business, healthcare, and the liberal arts and humanities.

wdt_ID rank Field 2022 / 2023 % change since 2021 % change since 2011
126 1 Agricultural and veterinary sciences/services/operations and related fields 19,293 2 31
Architecture and related services 16,713 -2 15
Area ethnic cultural gender and group studies 9,159 -3 31
Basic skills and general exam preparation (not for credit) 11,391 5 -37
Biological and biomedical sciences 86,688 1 35
Business management marketing and related support services 390,165 3 26
Communication journalism and related programs 28,905 -4 -6
Communications technologies/technicians and support services 9,426 5 16
Computer and information sciences and support services 115,599 11 214
Construction trades 8,691 4 5
Culinary entertainment and personal services 10,923 13 23
Education 100,710 -1 -5
Engineering 138,882 2 52
Engineering/engineering-related technologies/technicians 60,537 5 20
English language and literature/letters 15,891 0 -27
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences 47,775 1 27
French language and literature/letters (CAN) 4,407 -16 -36
Health professions and related programs 220,104 1 19
Health professions residency/fellowship programs 837 10 197
Health-related knowledge and skills (not for credit) 1,614 13 32
High school/secondary diploma and certificate programs 30,270 -5 -24
History 12,687 -2 -32
Indigenous and foreign languages literatures and linguistics 13,764 9 -35
Legal professions and studies 31,068 -2 12
Leisure and recreational activities and non-commercial vehicle operation (not for credit) 2,295 -1 -8
Liberal arts and sciences general studies and humanities 172,548 -4 -29
Library science 2,580 0 -21
Mathematics and statistics 19,935 -3 73
Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians 12,084 1 -11
Medical residency/fellowship programs 13,899 0 0
Military science leadership and operational art 183 -21 336
Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies 105,408 -1 34
Natural resources and conservation 20,358 -3 20
Parks recreation leisure fitness and kinesiology 41,496 -1 20
Personal awareness and self-improvement (not for credit) 48 0 -95
Philosophy and religious studies 8,205 -5 -19
Physical sciences 25,974 -1 10
Precision production 4,572 5 2
Pre-technology education/pre-industrial arts programs (CAN) 942 17 15
Psychology 73,035 2 43
Public administration and social service professions 40,980 -3 9
Science technologies/technicians 4,602 12 45
Security and protective services 31,938 -6 4
Social sciences 98,340 -5 4
Theology and religious vocations 2,721 -8 -12
Total field of study 2,211,345 1 13
Transportation and materials moving 3,885 -3 33
Unclassified field of study 66,474 -5 -16
Visual and performing arts 73,323 0 -3

Master's Level

At the Master's level, healthcare residencies, computer sciences, and engineering are growing fastest.

wdt_ID Field 2022 / 2023 % change since 2021 % change since 2011
1 Basic skills and general exam preparation (not for credit) 6 0 0
2 Health-related knowledge and skills (not for credit) 0 0
3 High school/secondary diploma and certificate programs 0 0
4 Leisure and recreational activities and non-commercial vehicle operation (not for credit) 0 0
5 Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians 0 0
6 Military technologies and applied sciences 0 0
7 Personal awareness and self-improvement (not for credit) 0 0
8 Precision production 0 0
9 Pre-technology education/pre-industrial arts programs (CAN) 0 0
10 Science technologies/technicians 0 0
11 Transportation and materials moving 0 0
12 Culinary, entertainment, and personal services 18 0 0
13 Construction trades 15 -44 0
14 Unclassified 3,459 4 2,856
15 Health professions residency/fellowship programs 792 14 218
16 Computer and information sciences and support services 10,404 13 194
17 Engineering/engineering-related technologies/technicians 1,050 27 130
18 Security and protective services 813 15 119
19 Engineering 23,976 9 87
20 Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies 5,151 0 86
21 Health professions and related programs 41,976 1 57
22 Parks, recreation, leisure, fitness, and kinesiology 1,911 -1 40
24 Family and consumer sciences/human sciences 849 6 34
25 Business, management, marketing and related support services 34,203 0 29
26 Psychology 4,056 -1 28
27 Mathematics and statistics 1,479 -1 25
28 Education 22,428 -3 25
29 Legal professions and studies 17,139 2 23
30 Liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities 525 -10 21
31 Agricultural and veterinary sciences/services/operations and related fields 3,210 2 15
32 Biological and biomedical sciences 7,494 1 15
33 Public administration and social service professions 7,944 -1 15
34 Communication, journalism and related programs 2,019 0 11
35 Architecture and related services 3,063 -3 10
36 Natural resources and conservation 3,213 -3 10
37 Theology and religious vocations 816 1 8
38 Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies 1,101 -1 5
39 Social sciences 7,140 -5 3
40 Physical sciences 3,150 -2 2
41 Medical residency/fellowship programs 13,827 0 -1
42 Visual and performing arts 3,414 -4 -2
43 Indigenous and foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics 1,014 2 -3
44 History 999 -1 -16
45 Philosophy and religious studies 996 -8 -17
46 French language and literature/letters (CAN) 633 -3 -23
47 English language and literature/letters 858 -7 -25
48 Military science, leadership and operational art 21 0 -30
49 Communications technologies/technicians and support services 39 -38 -32
50 Library science 723 3 -40
51 Citizenship activities (not for credit)
52 Interpersonal and social skills (not for credit)

Canadian Student Mobility

Approximately 11% of Canadian undergraduate students participate in a study abroad experience. For the 2022-2023 academic year, over 41,000 Canadians studied in the United States, making Canada the 4th largest sender of students to the USA, after China, India, and South Korea.

In this same period, Canada ranked in the top 10 of non-EU countries sending students to the United Kingdom, with over 7,400 students studying in the UK.

Other top countries of interest, according to a 2023 report by CBIE, include Italy, China, Japan, Germany, Australia, and Spain. Business, social sciences, humanities, health sciences, and natural sciences are the most popular areas of interest for Canadians who study abroad.

SchoolFinder Group / Recruit in Canada Student Database

Over 22,000 Canadian students in our database have indicated an interest in studying in one or more countries outside of Canada since 2023. The full list contains dozens of countries, and we're adding more destinations to the portal every year. Still, the top destinations for our audience remain consistent, with the United States in first place, followed by the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and France. See the SchoolFinderGroup.com report for more detailed information.

These figures are a one-month snapshot of signups from summer 2024 and summer 2025.

wdt_ID Rank Destination Country Y-O-Y Change % of Total
1 1 Canada 1 89
2 2 United States 21 25
3 3 United Kingdom 1 13
4 4 Australia 3 10
5 5 Germany 9 10
6 6 France 5 10
7 7 Italy 7 10
8 8 Ireland 9 9
9 9 Switzerland 5 9
10 10 Spain  7 9
11 11 Japan  12 9
12 12 New Zealand  2 9
13 13 Netherlands  5 9
14 14 Sweden  2 9
15 15 Belgium  6 8
16 16 Norway* 0 8
17 17 Finland* 0 8
18 18 Greece  8 8
19 19 Denmark* 0 8
20 20 China  11 8
21 21 Singapore  9 8
22 22 Korea, Republic of  6 8
23 23 United Arab Emirates  12 8
24 24 Portugal  7 8
25 25 Austria  8 8
26 26 Poland  5 8
27 27 Hong Kong  9 8
28 28 Luxembourg  7 8
29 29 Saudi Arabia  9 8
30 30 Turkiye* 0 8
31 31 Mexico  10 8
32 32 Hungary  8 8
33 33 Puerto Rico* 0 8
34 34 Costa Rica  6 8
35 35 Romania* 0 8
36 36 Peru* 0 8
37 37 Russia* 0 8
38 38 Fiji  9 8
39 39 Thailand  8 8
40 40 Czech Republic  9 8
41 41 Malaysia  8 8
42 42 Philippines* 0 8
43 43 Argentina* 0 7
44 44 Georgia* 0 7
45 45 Taiwan, Province of China* 0 7
46 46 Malta* 0 7
47 47 South Africa* 0 7
48 48 Chile* 0 7
49 49 Barbados  7 7
50 50 Cyprus  6 7
51 51 Guatemala  8 7
52 52 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  7 7
53 53 Saint Lucia  7 7
54 54 Estonia* 0 7
55 55 Jamaica  41 7
56 56 Dominica  8 7
57 57 Saint Kitts and Nevis  7 7
58 58 Grenada  7 7
59 59 Cayman Islands  6 7
60 60 Liechtenstein  8 7
61 61 Sri Lanka* 0 7
62 62 Tunisia* 0 7
63 63 Israel  8 7
64 64 Lebanon* 0 7
65 65 Kazakhstan  9 7
66 66 Nicaragua  9 7
67 67 Aruba  8 7
68 68 Ecuador* 0 7
69 69 Belize* 0 7
70 70 Iran, Islamic Republic of* 0 7
71 71 Antigua and Barbuda  7 7
72 72 Bangladesh* 0 7
73 73 Anguilla  7 7
74 74 Yemen* 0 7
75 75 India^ 0 2
76 76 Croatia^ 0 2

* These countries were added to the platform on or after June 2024.
^ These countries were added to the platform in 2025.

We hope that helps!

For more information on how we can help you can reach our community of Canadian Students interested in studying in your country, contact us at:

The SchoolFinder Group Team info@schoolfindergroup.com

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