Canada vs United States of America: Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age
Canada
81.1%
in 2022
United States of America
79.0%
in 2022
Canada rank
4th
United States of America rank
7th
Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age over time
- Canada
- United States of America
How they compare
Canada currently reports 81.1% against 79.0% in United States of America, a difference of 2.1%.
Across all 7 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 4th and United States of America ranks 7th of 53 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 88.7% | 79.4% | 9.3% | Canada |
| 2010s | 87.2% | 80.6% | 6.6% | Canada |
| 2020s | 81.1% | 79.0% | 2.1% | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age, Canada or United States of America?
- Canada, at 81.1% against 79.0% in United States of America as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age between Canada and United States of America?
- 2.1%, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States of America?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
- How do Canada and United States of America rank globally for share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age?
- Canada ranks 4th and United States of America ranks 7th of 53 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of children who achieve minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. This data accounts for school completion rates to estimate skills for all children, not just those in school.