Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Canada
Canada: Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings was 18.6% in 2015. ▼ Falling
Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Canada, 1997–2015
Source: OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Canada is 18.6%, measured in 2015. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and down 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Canada peaked at 24.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 18.6%, in 2015.
That places Canada 6th out of 29 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.5% | 24.0% | 24.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 22.1% | 20.1% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.1% | 18.6% | 19.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 60.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 80.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 83.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 76.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Canada?
- Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Canada was 18.6% in 2015, according to OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unadjusted gender gap in median earnings recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 24.9% in 1998.
- What is the lowest unadjusted gender gap in median earnings recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.6% in 2015.
- How does Canada rank for unadjusted gender gap in median earnings?
- Canada ranks 6th out of 29 countries with data for 2015.
- Is unadjusted gender gap in median earnings rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The gender wage gap is unadjusted and is defined as the difference between median earnings of men and women relative to median earnings of men. Estimates refer to full-time employees and to self-employed workers.