--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-using-2021-census-data/" title: "Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Using 2021 Census Data" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-01T11:29:36+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-01T11:29:36+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "2021 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 Using 2021 Census Data Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-using-2021-census-data/ # Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Using 2021 Census Data [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2024-01-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Haun, Chris. 2024. “Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Using 2021 Census Data.” CSLS Research Report 2024-01. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-using-2021-census-data/ ## Author: - Chris Haun Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2024-01 January 2024 105 pages ## Related research [Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2023 | Report 2023-01 | 101 pages](https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-2023-01/) [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? Andrew Sharpe December 1999 | Report 1999-03 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/apprenticeship-in-canadaa-training-system-under-siege/) [A Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Labour Market Performance, 1989-2000 Andrew Sharpe April 2001 | Report 2001-01 | 29 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-comparison-of-canadian-and-u-s-labour-market-performance-1989-2000/) [Aggregate Labour Productivity Growth in Canada and the United States: Definitions, Trends and Measurement Issues Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) September 2004 | Report 2004-04 | 110 pages](https://csls.ca/research/aggregate-labour-productivity-growth-in-canada-and-the-united-states-definitions-trends-and-measurement-issues/) [Indicators of Labour Market Conditions in Canada Andrew Sharpe, Anne-Marie Shaker November 2007 | Report 2007-03 | 67 pages](https://csls.ca/research/indicators-of-labour-market-conditions-in-canada/) [The Potential Contribution of Aboriginal Canadians to Labour Force, Employment, Productivity and Output Growth in Canada, 2001-2017 Andrew Sharpe, Jean-François Arsenault, Simon Lapointe November 2007 | Report 2007-04 | 180 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-potential-contribution-of-aboriginal-canadians-to-labour-force-employment-productivity-and-output-growth-in-canada-2001-2017/) [A Review of the Potential Impacts of the Métis Human Resources Development Agreements in Canada Jean-François Arsenault, Andrew Sharpe May 2009 | Report 2009-01 | 80 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-review-of-the-potential-impacts-of-the-metis-human-resources-development-agreements-in-canada/) [The Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway: A Situational Analysis of Human Resources Needs Souleima El Achkar May 2009 | Report 2009-02 | 173 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-ontario-quebec-continental-gateway-a-situational-analysis-of-human-resources-needs/) [The Effect of Increasing Aboriginal Educational Attainment on the Labour Force, Output and the Fiscal Balance Andrew Sharpe, Jean-François Arsenault, Simon Lapointe, Fraser Cowan May 2009 | Report 2009-03 | 108 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-effect-of-increasing-aboriginal-educational-attainment-on-the-labour-force-output-and-the-fiscal-balance/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This report first assesses key labour market gaps facing First Nations people in Canada relative to non-Indigenous Canadians in 2021. It then estimates the economic benefits which would accrue to First Nations people and Canadians generally if these gaps were to be closed. Our primary focus is the educational attainment gap between the First Nations population and the non-Indigenous population, though we also investigate gaps in employment rates and average employment incomes, both conditional on educational attainment. This report updates a previous study undertaken by the Centre for the Living Standards and published by the Assembly of First Nations, repeating key exercises using newly-available data from the 2021 Canadian Census. We find that significant progress has been made in closing gaps in employment rates and employment incomes between the two populations since 2016. The educational attainment of both populations is found to have increased over the 2016-2021 period. However, nonIndigenous rates of improvement have outpaced First Nations rates of improvement, causing the gap to widen slightly. Using detailed tabular data from Statistics Canada, we are able to simulate the closure of these gaps both at the aggregate level and within age, gender, and province/territory categories. Ultimately, we estimate that the cumulative economic benefits associated with closing the education gap over the 2021-2041 period could be as large as $233 billion, and that the cumulative economic benefits associated with closing all three gaps of interest over the same timeframe could be as large as $369 billion. Ce rapport évalue d’abord les principaux écarts du marché du travail auxquels font face les membres des Premières Nations au Canada par rapport aux Canadiens non autochtones en 2021. Il estime ensuite les avantages économiques qui reviendraient aux membres des Premières Nations et aux Canadiens en général si ces écarts étaient comblés. Notre principal point d’intérêt est l’écart de scolarité entre la population des Premières Nations et la population non autochtone, bien que nous examinions également les écarts dans les taux d’emploi et les revenus d’emploi moyens, tous deux conditionnels au niveau de scolarité. Ce rapport met à jour une étude antérieure réalisée par le Centre d’étude des niveaux de vie et publiée par l’Assemblée des Premières Nations, en reprenant les principaux exercices à l’aide des données nouvellement disponibles du Recensement canadien de 2021. Nous constatons que des progrès importants ont été réalisés dans la réduction des écarts de taux d’emploi et de revenus d’emploi entre les deux populations depuis 2016. La scolarité des deux populations a augmenté au cours de la période 2016-2021. Toutefois, les taux d’amélioration de la population non autochtone ont dépassé ceux des Premières Nations, ce qui a légèrement élargi l’écart. À l’aide de données tabulaires détaillées de Statistique Canada, nous parvenons à simuler la fermeture de ces écarts tant à l’échelle agrégée qu’au sein des catégories d’âge, de sexe et de province ou territoire. En définitive, nous estimons que les avantages économiques cumulatifs associés à la fermeture de l’écart de scolarité au cours de la période 2021-2041 pourraient atteindre 233 milliards de dollars, et que les avantages économiques cumulatifs associés à la fermeture des trois écarts d’intérêt pourraient atteindre 369 milliards de dollars. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2024-01-1.pdf)