2006 Census: Educational Portrait of Canada, 2006 Census: Findings

• Highlights
• Substantial changes to census questions on education
  • Highest level of educational attainment
• National picture
  • Historical comparison: The number of university degrees has grown substantially since 2001
  • Six in 10 adults had completed some form of postsecondary education
  • No other OECD country had a higher proportion of its adult population with university or college attainment than Canada
  • Young adults more highly educated than their older counterparts
  • Trades: Fewer young adults earning a trades certificate
  • Young women lead the way in college and university attainment
  • Field of study: One in five postsecondary graduates studied in Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services
  • Male and female university graduates study in different fields
• Immigration
  • Immigrants account for a large proportion of doctorate and master's degree holders
  • Field of study: One-quarter of university-qualified recent immigrants had a degree in Engineering
• Aboriginal population
  • The proportion of Aboriginal people with a university degree has grown
  • Inuit: More than one-third of the Inuit adult population had a postsecondary qualification
  • Métis: Half of the Métis population were postsecondary graduates
  • First Nations people: Four in 10 adults had a postsecondary qualification
  • The census showed differences in educational attainment on and off reserve for First Nations people and Registered Indians
    • First Nations people living off reserve were more likely to be college or university graduates
    • Similar trends in educational attainment on and off reserve for the Registered Indian population
• Mobility
  • Highly educated Canadians were more mobile
  • Urban populations were especially highly educated
• Provincial and territorial highlights
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: Lowest share of adults with a university degree among the provinces
  • Prince Edward Island: One-quarter of the adult population had a college diploma
  • Nova Scotia: Highest proportion of adults with a university degree in Atlantic Canada
  • New Brunswick: Smallest proportion of postsecondary graduates of all provinces
  • Quebec: Largest proportion of adults among provinces with a trade certification
  • Ontario: Just over one-quarter of the adult population had a university degree
  • Manitoba: Lowest proportion of adult population having a trades certificate in the western provinces
  • Saskatchewan: Just over half of the adult population had a postsecondary qualification
  • Alberta: Biggest net inflow of postsecondary graduates
  • British Columbia: Lowest proportion of adults who had not completed high school
  • Yukon Territory: Six in 10 adults had a postsecondary qualification
  • Northwest Territories: One-fifth of the adult population had a university degree
  • Nunavut: Nearly half of the adult population did not have a high school diploma
• Census metropolitan areas (CMAs)
  • The majority of university graduates lived in urban areas
  • Toronto: Two-thirds of the adult population were postsecondary graduates
  • Montréal: More than a quarter of the adult population had a university degree
  • Vancouver: Three in 10 adults had a university degree

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