--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-2023-01/" title: "Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-06T15:22:37+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-06T15:22:37+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "2016 Census" - "economic benefits" - "education gap" - "employment" - "First Nations" - "income" - "Indigenous Canadians" - "labour market" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Indigenous Economic Development" - "Labour Markets" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-2023-01/ # Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2023-01.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. 2023. “Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update.” CSLS Research Report 2023-01. Ottawa. https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-2023-01/ ## Author: - Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2023-01 February 2023 101 pages ## Related research [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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The primary focus is the educational attainment gap, though gaps in average employment income and employment rates conditional on educational attainment are also estimated. The report provides an update to earlier CSLS reports using 2016 Census data. Progress made over the last decade in eliminating these gaps is assessed. The cumulative economic benefits associated with the closure of the education gap could be as large as $265 billion, and the cumulative economic benefits associated with closure of all three gaps could be as large as $457 billion. Ce rapport estime les avantages économiques associés à la fermeture des principaux écarts du marché du travail auxquels font face les membres des Premières Nations au Canada par rapport aux Canadiens non autochtones. L’accent principal porte sur l’écart de scolarité, bien que les écarts de revenu d’emploi moyen et de taux d’emploi, conditionnels au niveau de scolarité, soient également estimés. Le rapport met à jour des rapports antérieurs du CSLS à l’aide des données du Recensement de 2016. Les progrès réalisés au cours de la dernière décennie dans l’élimination de ces écarts sont évalués. Les avantages économiques cumulatifs associés à la fermeture de l’écart de scolarité pourraient atteindre 265 milliards de dollars, et les avantages économiques cumulatifs associés à la fermeture des trois écarts pourraient atteindre 457 milliards de dollars. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2023-01.pdf)