Fewer teenagers are staying in school, despite the fact more education means better financial security, a Statistics Canada report says.

As of 2008, 20% of 15- to 19-year-olds in Canada were no longer in school, according to StatsCan.

That's worse than the average of 15% in the 31 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Dropouts were most common in the territories, where between 25% and 34% of teens between 15 and 19 were out of school, followed by 26% in Alberta. On the other end of the scale was New Brunswick, with 15%.

StatsCan also notes that in 2008, the employment rate for Canadians between 25 and 64 without a high school diploma was 58%, compared to 83% for post-secondary graduates.